On Wednesday night, the Yankees defeated the Royals by a score of 3-0 (box score). However, the game was marred by a scary incident in the seventh inning, when Chris Carter hit a broken-bat grounder off KC pitcher Matt Strahm. Part of Carter's bat flew into the stands and struck a young fan in the head, drawing blood:
Per MLB.com, a Yankees spokesperson said the young fan, who had been sitting about seven rows up on the third base side of home plate, was given first aid on-site and then received further treatment elsewhere. Although this was plainly no fault of Carter's, the slugger told the AP that he intends to reach out to the family of the young fan.
The use of protective netting behind home plate -- specifically, how far that netting should span -- remains a topic of debate around major-league ballparks. One New York City Council member released a statement following this incident and once again called for expanded netting at Yankee Stadium:
NYC Council Member Rafael Espinal (@RLEspinal) statement regarding the fan injury last night at Yankee Stadium pic.twitter.com/TrgRbh5LIa
— Maury Brown (@BizballMaury) May 25, 2017
In December of 2015, MLB recommended that teams expand the netting behind home plate, but ultimately they left it up to the clubs to decide how far that netting should span down the first and third base lines. At some point, that decision may be taken out of the team's hands, either by league mandate or local ordinance.
Either way, here's hoping the young fan has a full and swift recovery from his injuries.
