A photographer was taken out of the New York Yankees game against the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday night after being struck in the head by a foul ball. The incident occurred in the top of the sixth inning at Angel Stadium.
Yankees player Ben Rice fouled an 87 mph slider from Angels pitcher Reid Detmers, with the ball traveling into the first-base camera well. Medical personnel immediately attended to the photographer. After a delay of approximately 10 minutes, the photographer was seen walking off the field wearing a neck brace. Although a cart was available, the individual opted to walk.
An Angels spokesperson confirmed that the photographer was being attended to and was doing okay. Rice, who hit the foul ball, approached the photographer and shook his hand as he was leaving the area. Rice stated that he was relieved the photographer was alright, noting the individual appeared not to be looking in the direction of the ball when it was hit.
The ball was reportedly traveling at 79.5 mph when it struck the photographer. The Yankees went on to win the game against the Angels by a score of 6-3 in 10 innings. Rice contributed two hits and an RBI in five at-bats during the contest.
In a separate recent development for the Yankees, outfielder George Lombard Jr. set a difficult record during a recent 5-1 loss to the Houston Astros. Lombard Jr. became the first Yankees shortstop to hit a home run in his major league debut. However, three weeks into his career, he also committed an error for the sixth consecutive game, marking a dubious distinction. Lombard has recorded seven errors in his first 20 games. He acknowledged that his defense needs improvement, stating that errors cannot happen at that level and that teams will capitalize on extra outs.