BALTIMORE (AP) — Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Jesús Sánchez was injured by a ball thrown from the bleachers Sunday, sustaining a bruise to his right wrist that forced him to leave the game against the Baltimore Orioles.
The culprit wasn’t a malicious fan. Rather, the ball was tossed by a youngster who merely wanted to play a game of catch.
The mishap occurred in the sixth inning of Baltimore’s 9-5 victory. During a stoppage in play, Sánchez glanced up at the fans in the right field bleachers. Not long after that, the ball soared from the stands and plunked his wrist.
“I wasn’t trying to play catch right there,” Sánchez said through an interpreter. “I just looked at them, and they thought maybe that I want them to throw the ball. It was a complete misunderstanding.”
Sanchez was wearing a bandage on his wrist after the game, but X-rays were negative and he seemed confident the injury wouldn’t keep him out of the lineup.
“It hurts a little bit, but thank God it’s nothing bad or a fracture,” he said. “I’ll be all right.”
A statement from an Orioles spokesperson said the club has “identified the fan and removed them from the ballpark while we conduct a thorough investigation.”
Toronto manager John Schneider shook his head but smiled when asked to explain what happened.
“Yeah, you never know what you’re going to see at the ballpark,” he said. “He was kind of talking to a, I think it was a 12-year-old kid … in a playful manner, like almost let’s play catch. I think the kid took it literally.”
Schneider added, “I’m sure the kid feels bad. I’m assuming there’s no ill intent there, I think it was just a misunderstanding and bad timing.”
It’s certainly not something the Orioles condone.
“That’s something that I know we’re looking into,” Baltimore manager Craig Albernaz said. “We don’t want anyone getting hurt or fans throwing the ball on the field or anything like that.”
Sánchez never saw it coming, but he will learn from the experience.
“Big surprise, of course,” he said. “I never imagined that was going to happen, but it happened. Just turn the page and keep going.”
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