CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago White Sox said in a statement that the fan who tumbled roughly 10 feet into the visiting bullpen at Rate Field during Wednesday night’s 6-5 win over Kansas City seemed to be doing well.
“We reached out to the fan to check on his well-being, and his friend was able share a positive report,” the team said before Thursday's series finale against the Royals. “The entire White Sox organization and clubhouse are wishing him a speedy recovery."
The White Sox didn’t reveal the fan’s name, which hospital he was taken to or the nature of his injuries.
Wide-angle video from MLB.com Research shows the fan fell over a roughly 3-foot-high barrier from the front row of Section 105 of the South Side ballpark's right field seats and into the bullpen. The bullpen is located behind the stadium's right field wall and in front of Sections 104 and 105.
The base of the barrier is concrete, rising about 10-12 inches, topped by a metal fence that is roughly 2 feet high. The front row of seats is about 3 feet behind the fence.
The video shows the fan rising to his feet as Chicago second baseman Chase Meidroth hits a run-scoring sacrifice fly to Royals center fielder Lane Thomas for the first out in the bottom of the third inning.
The fan continued over the barrier, fell in front of a red ad for a local butcher shop and landed in an area covered by both grass and dirt at the west end of the bullpen.
Kansas City had runners on first and second with none out in the fourth inning when the game was briefly delayed while workers attended to the fallen fan. It looked as if stadium workers used a stretcher to transport the fan out of the bullpen area beyond the wall.
The Royals relievers moved into a far corner of the bullpen after the fan fell.
“Baseball’s just a game when it comes to that stuff in my mind,” reliever Nick Mears told reporters after the game. “Obviously human lives are something different. Kind of just creating space for all of the people to come in and try to help him out. Just trying to make sure that he had the best care that he could get in that moment was kind of our priority.”
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