During the sixth inning of the New York Yankees’ 6-3 extra-inning win over the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday, a scary scene unfolded when a photographer was hit in the head by a hard foul ball.
The photographer was sitting in the camera well on the first-base side of Angel Stadium when Yankees designated hitter Ben Rice yanked Angels starting pitcher Reid Detmers’ 87-mph slider foul into the camera well. The ball came off Rice’s bat at 79.5 mph, and the All-Star slugger knew something was wrong immediately and had a concerned look on his face.
The Yankees medical staff quickly sprang into action as Mike Schuck, the director of sports medicine and rehab, jumped into the well to tend to the injured photographer. Tim Lentych, the Yankees’ head trainer, called for a cart to come out.
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The game was delayed for about 10 minutes as the cart came out for the photographer, with the crowd remaining silent. Rice walked away from the batter’s box and over to the camera well to watch the emergency medical staff tend to the photographer.
The photographer eventually walked off under his own power, with a neck brace on, and made it to the cart. Rice shook hands with the photographer before returning to the batter’s box.
An Angels spokesperson relayed through the photographer’s outlet that he was OK and receiving medical attention, according to the New York Post.
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“Very relieved,” Rice said, according to the New York Post. “I saw it, he definitely was not ready for any kind of impact there, he was looking the other direction.”
“I wasn’t sure how square it hit him in the head, but definitely a scary scene, so happy to hear he’s OK.”
Once the at-bat resumed, Detmers induced a flyout to center field from Rice on the ninth pitch of the at-bat.
Rice had two hits and an RBI in five at-bats in the team’s win.
