A fan was struck by a foul ball and taken off on a stretcher Friday at Tropicana Field during the seventh inning of the Tampa Bay Rays' 1-0 loss to the Chicago White Sox.
According to the Tampa Bay Times' Marc Topkin, "the female fan was sitting in the second row of seats behind the protective netting that was added this season, but the ball, off the bat of Steven Souza Jr., went through a small triangle-shaped opening."
MLB.com's Mike Nabors added the fan "was conscious and talking." On Saturday, Topkin reported the fan is in stable condition at an an area hospital.
After fouling the pitch off, Souza went into the stands to check on the fan, per Topkin:
"People are just a little more important than that game right there," Souza said following the loss, per the Tampa Bay Times' Kelly Parsons.
Tampa Bay Times photographer Will Vragovic relayed a picture of medical personnel taking the fan out of the stands:
White Sox pitcher Chris Sale, who was on the mound at the time of the incident, commented on the situation following the game, via Nabors:
I feel bad, I really do. That's tough. It's part of it. I think Major League Baseball is trying to do what they can to protect fans, but that's just a tough situation right there. I almost felt that when it happened. I just feel so bad for the individual and the family. I just hope for the best, really.
In December, Major League Baseball issued a recommendation "to add netting, or some sort of protective barrier, to shield fans from balls and bats that sometimes go into the stands in all field-level seats between the near ends of both dugouts and within 70 feet of home plate," per MLB.com's Paul Hagen.
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