By Jon Paul Hoornstra0ShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberSee more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.A young fan's good intentions might have cost the Toronto Blue Jays their right fielder.
Jesús Sánchez was removed from a game against the Baltimore Orioles on May 31 after he was struck on the right wrist/hand area by a baseball thrown from the bleachers at Camden Yards.
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Sánchez appeared to raise his glove in the direction of the right-field bleachers between the top and bottom of the sixth inning of the series finale between Toronto and Baltimore. The outfielder briefly turned his head away, then was struck by the ball in a case of unfortunate timing.
According to Jacob Calvin Meyer of the Baltimore Sun, the ball was thrown by a 13-year-old fan who believed Sánchez was motioning to him to play catch.
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The fan was ejected from the game, according to multiple reports.
Sánchez was 1-for-2 in the game, which the Orioles were leading 6-0 at the time and eventually won 9-5. He is 48-for-167 (.287) this season with six home runs in 57 games.
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Sanchez, 28, has been the Blue Jays' best hitter this season by OPS (.785) and slugging percentage (.461). Rookie Yohendrick Piñango, a left-handed hitting outfielder like Sánchez, took over midgame and would be the likely replacement in right field if the injury proves to be serious.
But any time Sánchez misses would make his injury one of the unluckiest incidents in recent memory for an MLB player.
Toronto acquired Sanchez from the Houston Astros on Feb. 13 in a 1-for-1 trade for outfielder Joey Loperfido.
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Even though the fan who threw the ball seemingly did not have any intention to injure Sánchez, policies that prohibit fans from throwing objects (including baseballs) onto the field during a game are universal.
This incident offers the latest proof of why those policies are in place.
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