What to Know
- The Yankees had one man on base and no outs in the seventh inning when Chris Carter swung at a fastball
- His bat shattered, and most of the broken pieces flew into the stands, hitting the young boy
- The Yankees said he got immediate first aid treatment; the boy didn't appear badly hurt
Shards of a broken Yankee bat flew into the stands after a fastball swing to Wednesday night's game against the Royals, striking a young fan in the head.
First baseman Chris Carter hit the pitch from Matt Strahm on a 3-1 count with one man on and no outs in the seventh inning. The bat shattered upon impact; the ball bounced on one hop to second baseman Whit Merrifield and much of the bat hit the boy, who was sitting about seven rows back on the third-base side, behind the Royals dugout.
Fans around the boy waved frantically for assistance, and play stopped for two minutes as players looked to the seats. Medical personnel carried out the boy, who appeared to have a leg that was in a brace. Fans applauded as the boy was carried out of the stands, a white cloth on his head. He didn't appear badly hurt.
Yankees spokesman Jason Zillo said the fan was given first aid at the ballpark and was receiving medical attention elsewhere after the game. He said the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, known as HIPAA, prevented the team from giving more information.
Carter said he did not see the boy get hit.
"You never want to have something like that happen to a kid or anyone in general," he said. "I guess the good side of it is the square part of the bat didn't pierce him or anything like that. So I hope he's OK."
Carter will try to speak with the family.
Local
"Once I figure out what happened to the kid, where they're at, hopefully I can get a hold of him," he said. "Hopefully it's not too bad."
The accident prompted calls for enhanced safety measures from at least one local councilmember. Democrat Rafael Espinal, who represents Brooklyn's 37th District, said in a statement both local MLB teams should extend protective netting to prevent similar instances.
"No one should ever have to worry about going to a baseball game and leaving severely injured. It becomes clearer and clearer that the seats immediately behind home plate are not the only seats that must be protected by netting," Espinal said. "A handful of teams across the country have already taken similar measures, it's time for our hometown heroes step up. My thoughts are with this boy and his family and I wish him a speedy recovery."
