A potentially horrific scene unfolded Wednesday night at Minute Maid Park in Houston.
In the fourth inning of the Astros’ game with the Chicago Cubs, Chicago outfielder Albert Almora Jr. pulled a line drive into the stands near the third-base dugout. The ball struck a young girl who was then rushed up the stairs presumably to security or a first aid section.
The Astros released this statement about the incident: “The young fan that was struck by a foul ball during tonight’s game was taken to the hospital. We are not able to disclose any further details at this time. The Astros send our thoughts and prayers to the entire family.”
Almora immediately was shaken up by the play, as was Houston catcher Robinson Chirinos. It took a few moments before Almora even was able to continue his at-bat. After the top half of the inning ended and as Almora headed out to his position, he stopped near the dugout to see if he could get an update on the girl. He spoke with a security guard and eventually broke into tears as the security guard consoled him with a hug.
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The Houston Chronicle was able to track down David LeVasseur, the man who was able to come up with the baseball after it hit the child.
“All we heard was screaming,” LeVasseur told the Chronicle. “We saw this dad pick up a child and run up the stairs. He took off running.
“I (came) upstairs and see the first-aid guys up there and the dad is holding the girl. She (was) alert, she’s conscious, she’s fine. I was just going to give somebody in the family the ball. They kind of, naturally, shook it off. I asked the first-aid guy if she was OK and he said he didn’t know.”
There does, however, appear to be good news: LeVasseur said there was no blood on the baseball or in the area, and ESPN’s Jesse Rogers also reported, citing sources, that initial reports about the girl’s condition were positive.
“I’m hopeful that I’ll have a relationship with that family as long as I’m alive,” Almora told reporters after the game, per the Chicago Tribune.
