Inside The Pinstripes

Fan Hits Alex Verdugo With Baseball From Stands at Yankee Stadium

Boston Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo was hit by a baseball thrown by a fan at Yankee Stadium, stopping a game against the New York Yankees in a scary scene

Max Goodman

NEW YORK — The Yankees and Red Sox played through a torrential downpour for hours on Saturday night, but rather than a rain delay, it was an incident with a fan that brought the game to a standstill.

Before the bottom of the sixth inning began, Red Sox left fielder was suddenly struck by a baseball thrown in from the bleachers at Yankee Stadium. 

The outfielder turned, looking into the stands as his teammates, umpires and stadium workers joined him on the outfield grass in a hectic scene.

Content is unavailable

Verdugo was furious, understandably so. Cameras picked up the outfielder screaming expletives toward the fans in the area while helping those involved pinpoint exactly who threw the baseball at him. 

Members of Boston's coaching staff, including manager Alex Cora, joined their players on the field, quickly pulling the group back into the visitor's dugout. 

"Glad Alex pulled them off the field and made a statement," Yankees ace Gerrit Cole said after the game. "I hope he's okay. That's pretty terrible. Hope it doesn't happen again."

Play eventually resumed and Verdugo returned to his position in left field in the pouring rain. It looked like the fan was also escorted out of the stadium once they were identified. 

"It's awful, embarrassing, unacceptable," manager Aaron Boone said. "There's zero place for that in this great game, and in this great rivalry. Players should never feel like they have to worry about anything like that."

Boone added that he reached out to Cora to apologize and check in on Verdugo. 

Verdugo has been talking back and forth with the bleacher creatures this season each time the Red Sox have come to town—as outfielders often do when visiting the Bronx—but this act from a fan in the stands was stooping to a new low. 

It was a situation similar to what transpired back in April when fans from all around Yankee Stadium tossed baseballs back onto the field of play, stopping a game against the Tampa Bay Rays. No players were hit during that wild scene, though. 

Yankees Fans Look Worse Than Their Team in Loss to Rays

The game was tied when the incident with Verdugo occurred in the sixth, but it wouldn't stay that way for long. Later in the inning, Gary Sánchez and Gleyber Torres hit back-to-back opposite-field home runs to bring New York in front, 3-1.

New York ended up winning by that same score as the game was called after a rain delay in the seventh. 

MORE:

Follow Max Goodman on Twitter (@MaxTGoodman), be sure to bookmark Inside The Pinstripes and check back daily for news, analysis and more.

Published
Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

Home/News