According to ESPN.com, fans around him reported that the unidentified man was yelling toward Josh Hamilton for a foul ball that was hit by Conor Jackson and landed on the field. According to their reports, Hamilton flipped the ball up to the fan, who caught it and proceeded to fall over the railing and into the gap between the railing and the back of the out-of-town scoreboard.
The wall is 14 feet off the ground, with a railing extending a few more feet up. The Rangers closed their clubhouse after a 6-0 win.
“We are deeply saddened to learn that the man who fell has passed away as a result of this tragic accident,” Rangers president Nolan Ryan said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.
“I think as any of us would be, Josh is very distraught over this as the entire team is,” Ryan added. Ryan added that the Rangers are “very heavy-hearted about this.”
“I tried to grab him, but I couldn’t,” Ronnie Hargis, a 50-year-old from Hawley, Texas, who was sitting beside the falling fan told ESPN.com. “I tried to slow him down a little bit. He went straight down.”
