PITTSBURGH (AP) 鈥 A man who fell from the 21-foot-high Clemente Wall in right field at PNC Park during Wednesday night鈥檚 game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs remained in critical condition on Thursday morning.
Pittsburgh Public Safety, which includes Pittsburgh Police and EMS, that the 鈥渋ncident is being treated as accidental in nature.鈥
The unidentified man fell onto the warning track in right field just as Pirates star Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run double in the seventh inning to . Players began waving frantically for medical personnel and pointing to the man.
The fan was tended to for approximately five minutes by members of both the Pirates and Cubs training staffs as well as PNC personnel, before being removed from the field on a cart. He was taken to the trauma center at Allegheny General Hospital, where he remained on Thursday.
Pittsburgh owner Bob Nutting said the club was 鈥渄eeply saddened鈥 and 鈥渢ruly heartbroken鈥 over what he called a 鈥渢errible accident.鈥
鈥淚n times like these, we must come together, support one another, and keep him and his loved ones in our prayers,鈥 Nutting said in a statement. 鈥淲e also want to thank and appreciate the efforts of the first responders who rushed to his attention and provided him with compassionate care.”
The railing that runs along the Clemente Wall in right field is three feet (36 inches) in height, which exceeds the building code requirements of 26 inches, according to Pirates vice president of communications Brian Warecki.
Fans were sitting in the front row above the Clemente Wall on Thursday ahead of the series finale between the two teams.
McCutchen, a five-time All-Star and franchise icon, said Thursday that the team was 鈥渄evastated,” adding that they prayed together after the game. Asked to describe his viewpoint of the sequence, McCutchen declined, saying he is trying not to think about it and is more focused on the man鈥檚 health.
鈥淲e鈥檙e just hoping for the best for him,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 hope he pulls through because he鈥檚 the reason why we are here. He鈥檚 the reason why we play the game. People that show their support so we can do something we love, partly because of him and because of fans. So, I just pray that he鈥檚 all right.鈥
Pirates manager Derek Shelton and Cubs manager Craig Counsell both alerted the umpire crew of the situation immediately after the play.
鈥淓ven though it鈥檚 350 feet away or whatever it is, I mean the fact of how it went down and then laying motionless while the play is going on, I mean Craig saw it, I saw it. We both got out there,鈥 Shelton said. 鈥淚 think the umpires saw it because of the way it kicked. It鈥檚 extremely unfortunate. That鈥檚 an understatement.鈥
Players from both teams could be seen praying and McCutchen held a cross that hung from his neck while the fan was taken off the field.
The game was paused for several minutes while the man received medical attention but there was no official stoppage in play.
Police said any medical update on the fan will be provided by medical personnel in conjunction with the man’s family.
Fans have died from steep falls at baseball stadiums in the past.
In 2015, Atlanta Braves season ticket holder Gregory K. Murrey flipped over guard rails from the . That was four years after Shannon Stone, a firefighter attending a game with his 6-year-old son, fell about 20 feet after reaching out for a foul ball tossed into the stands at the Texas Rangers鈥 former stadium.
Both incidents prompted scrutiny over the height of guard rails at stadiums. The Rangers raised theirs, while the Braves settled a lawsuit with Murrey鈥檚 family.
A spectator at died following a fall on an escalator.
___
AP MLB:
To join the conversation set a first and last name in your user profile.
Sign in or register for free to join the Conversation