NEW YORK _ A foul, line drive off the bat of Yankees third baseman Todd Frazier apparently struck a young girl seated in the lower, left field stands during Wednesday's fifth inning at Yankee Stadium against the Twins.
The Yankees put out the following statement during Wednesday's ninth inning:
"The child who was struck with a batted ball today was given first aid at the ballpark and is receiving medical attention at an area hospital. The federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, known as HIPAA, prevents the team from giving more information. We will have no further comment at this time."
Play was halted for a few minutes as the child was carried from the seating area. Frazier knelt on one knee and bowed his head as the scene played out in the hushed ballpark.
At Yankee Stadium, there is no protective netting that extends to the areas behind the dugout and beyond, as occurs during batting practice.
According to a recent Forbes article, the Yankees remain non-committal about the extension of such netting.
Earlier this year, New York City Councilman Rafael L. Espinal Jr. introduced a bill calling for the extension of protective netting from home plate to the foul poles in any ballpark with 5,000 or more seating capacity.
During a game this past May at Yankee Stadium, a young boy was struck in the head by a piece of Chris Carter's broken bat that flew into the stands.
Over the All-Star break, the Mets extended the protective netting at Citi Field to cover seating directly behind the dugouts.
