A potentially scary moment occurred during Sunday night’s game between the San Francisco Giants and New York Mets. A fan fell onto the field.
With two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning, San Francisco pitcher, Tristan Beck, was set to deliver his first pitch to New York’s batter, Francisco Álvarez. But just before Beck delivered the pitch, the game was halted when home plate umpire Stu Scheurwater called time out.
Cameras quickly panned to the deep outfield, where a fan was on the field. Fans invading the field normally run around, frequently shedding clothing as they go. They’re also generally ignored by the television cameras. But this was different. Cameras picked up the fan on the warning track, holding what looked to be a towel up against his nose. He then put his hands up, signaling to the approaching security guards that he was not a threat.
A group of security guards eventually reached the fan and helped escort him off of the field.
Earlier this season, a fan in Philadelphia fell into the visiting bullpen during a game between the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies. The outfield wall at Citi Field is eight feet tall. That, plus the railing above it means that the fan in New York on Sunday fell roughly ten feet onto the field. So, it was certainly positive to see the fan walking under his own power.
And if there were any lingering concerns about the fan’s health, they were eliminated the following inning when he was seen back in the stands, in good spirits and talking to other fans — presumably telling the story of his fall.
So fortunately, this didn’t end up being more than an awkward moment.
[Photo Credit: ESPN]