An 8-year-old boy was injured by a foul ball during Friday night’s game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Cincinnati Reds at Dodgers Stadium.
In the fourth inning, Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts hit a ball into the crowd behind home plate, striking Nathan Sanchez in the right eye.
“As soon as the ball hits him, all I hear is, ‘My eye!’” Nathan’s mother, Daisy Sanchez told KTLA’s Chris Wolfe.
The Sanchez family had traveled from their home in Lynwood to attend the game, hoping to catch a foul ball. Nathan even brought his glove, excited to see his favorite team play.
They were sitting mid-level between home plate and first base when the ball headed directly toward Nathan’s seat and struck him in the face.
The foul ball ricocheted off his right eye and disappeared into the crowd.
“So many things crossing through your mind,” said Nathan’s father, Samuel Sanchez. “Walking up the stairs when the medics came to look at him.”
Stadium security and medical personnel arrived at their section minutes later. A doctor sitting nearby immediately assisted Nathan while his family looked on worriedly. Nathan said he was stunned by the injury and cried a bit afterward.
After a check-up, Nathan and his family were cleared to return to the game. Feeling blue about losing the foul ball, the family was surprised when a good Samaritan grabbed the baseball and was kind enough to return it to the boy.
Staff members gave Nathan some stickers and a button but they had hoped to receive more communication from the Dodgers following the incident.
“I mean at least a signature,” the family said. “We just want our ball signed, the ball that hit him. At least a signature, you know?”
Fan injuries from foul balls are not uncommon. In 2019, Major League Baseball added protective netting at ballparks in response to growing concerns about fan safety.
From 2012 to 2019, roughly 800 injuries per year came from foul balls, according to a 2019 NBC report. The push for extended netting started around 2015, after a series of incidents involving fans injured by foul balls and broken bats.
Since then, the protective netting across MLB has prevented injuries from foul balls but doesn’t fully eliminate risk.
The Dodgers have not responded to KTLA’s request for comment on the incident.
On Monday, Daisy, Nathan’s mother, said the Dodgers had reached out to the Sanchez family and invited them to a freeway series game against the Los Angeles Angels on June 22.
Nathan will join the Dodgers for batting practice before the game, giving him the opportunity to meet some of the players.
“Nathan was super excited and grateful for this,” Daisy said.