Fan Taken to Hospital After Foul Ball Incident at Dodgers Game
There was a scary moment Sunday in the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Colorado Rockies when a foul ball struck a young woman in the stands.
It happened in the first inning when Dodgers star Cody Bellinger hit a foul ball along the first base side at Dodger Stadium. A woman sitting four rows off the field was struck in the head by the line drive.
She was just beyond the area with protective netting that extends to the end of the visitors’ dugout.
The woman, who was not identified, was attended to by a crew of first responders who treated and evaluated her. The game was delayed for several minutes, ESPN reported.
#Dodgers Report: A Cody Bellinger line drive that struck a young woman in the head revives push to extend protective netting beyond dugouts; David Freese injury deprives club of valuable bench player, speed-dating Bellinger gets a hug. https://t.co/racgSQqKfS
— Mike DiGiovanna (@MikeDiGiovanna) June 24, 2019
Bellinger went into the stands between innings to check on her. About 15 minutes after she was hit, she left the game and was taken to a local hospital for further evaluation.
“It was weird. I saw it literally hit her face,” Bellinger said, ESPN reported. “I’m sure it was tough for everyone. I went over the next half-inning to make sure. She said she was all right and gave me a thumbs up.”
A first responder who assisted the young woman told ESPN she was alert and answering questions, but was taken to the hospital for precautionary tests.
“You feel for that person,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told the Los Angeles Times. “You see a direct hit to that lady, and it came off the bat hot. You never want to see that happen.”
Baseball fan sitting on the first base line is hit in the face by a foul ball at Dodgers Stadium – Major League Baseball News – https://t.co/4jJ1Wo1idQ pic.twitter.com/k7wWEYulJi
— Los Angeles Sports News (@Lakers_newsnow) June 24, 2019
The incident is the latest in a line of fan injuries from foul balls.
On May 29 in Houston, a foul ball by the Chicago Cubs’ Albert Almora hit a young girl in the head.
Last August, 79-year-old Linda Goldbloom died after being hit by a foul ball at Dodger Stadium.
Last year, MLB imposed a rule that required every stadium to have protective netting at least to the end of the dugouts on each side of the field. Some teams go beyond that. The Chicago White Sox and Washington Nationals both recently announced plans to extend their netting to the foul poles.
The Dodgers have not said whether they will extend the netting, but some of their players think it’s a good idea.
“It’s such a little investment to protect a life,” Dodger pitcher Rich Hill told the Times. “Everybody puts their seat belt on when they get in a car. Times change. A lot of things have changed to indicate in these circumstances that we’re in a different time. That’s it. Period.”
Bellinger agrees.
“I would assume that would be a smart decision,” Bellinger said. “The people in the front row don’t have enough reaction time. I’m over at first base, and I have to be ready, and they’re 10 feet over from me. That’s a scary situation.”
The Dodgers won the game 6-3.
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