The Chicago White Sox said in a statement that the fan who tumbled roughly 10 feet into the visiting bullpen at Rate Field during Wednesday night’s 6-5 win over Kansas City seemed to be doing well, the team said before Thursday’s series finale against the Royals. “We reached out to the fan to check on his well-being, and his friend was able share a positive report,” the team said. The White Sox did not disclose the fan’s name, which hospital he was taken to or the nature of his injuries.
Wide-angle video from MLB.com Research shows the fan fell over a roughly 3-foot-high barrier from the front row of Section 105 of the South Side ballpark’s right field seats and into the bullpen. The bullpen is located behind the stadium’s right field wall and in front of Sections 104 and 105. The base of the barrier is concrete, rising about 10-12 inches, topped by a metal fence that is roughly 2 feet high, and the front row of seats is about 3 feet behind that fence.
The video shows the fan rising to his feet as Chicago second baseman Chase Meidroth hit a run-scoring sacrifice fly to Royals center fielder Lane Thomas for the first out in the bottom of the third inning. The fan then continued over the barrier, fell in front of a red ad for a local butcher shop and landed in an area covered by both grass and dirt at the west end of the bullpen.
Kansas City had runners on first and second with none out in the fourth inning when the game was briefly delayed while workers attended to the fallen fan. It appeared stadium workers used a stretcher to transport the fan out of the bullpen area beyond the wall, and the Royals relievers moved into a far corner of the bullpen after the fall.
Reliever Nick Mears told reporters, “Baseball’s just a game when it comes to that stuff in my mind,” and said the priority was creating space for people to help and making sure the fan received the best care available in the moment. The White Sox said the entire organization and clubhouse are wishing the fan a speedy recovery, per the report.
