A fan who fell 21 feet at a Pittsburgh Pirates game was in critical condition Thursday morning at a local hospital, authorities said.
The unidentified man plummeted from the right field seats to the field during the seventh inning of Wednesday night’s game between the Pirates and Chicago Cubs.
Video shared on social media showed the man tumbling over the railing after standing up to celebrate a big play.
The game stopped for several minutes as medical personnel from both teams rushed out to treat the man. He was eventually taken off the field on a stretcher, and the game resumed. The seats remained open and occupied for Thursday afternoon’s game between the two teams.
“Truly hate what happened tonight,” Pirates star Andrew McCutchen wrote on social media after the game. “Can’t help but think about that guy, his family and friends. I pray tonight for him.”
The fan fell immediately after McCutchen hit a two-run double to put the Pirates ahead 4-3, which held up as the final score of the game. McCutchen and other players were visibly shaken on the field as the fan was treated at the scene.
Fans have died in similar incidents at baseball games. In 2015, an Atlanta Braves season ticket holder, Gregory Murrey, died in a fall at the team’s former stadium, Turner Field. Four years earlier, a Texas Rangers fan died at that team’s old stadium after falling while reaching for a foul ball.
With News Wire Services
