Red Sox Fan Hit By Broken Bat At Fenway Park
BOSTON (CBS) – A Red Sox fan was hit by part of a broken bat at Fenway Park Wednesday night.
The bat fragment flew over the newly expanded protective netting and hit Dylan Santos about 15 rows up in the stands.
The Red Sox told WBZ-TV's Dan Roche it was a "very minor injury" and that Santos was treated in the stands with an ice pack and "declined any further treatment."
Santos stayed in his seat. He told Roche via Twitter he's OK.
"Luckily I was watching the game and I had my head up," Santos told WBZ-TV Thursday. "I heard the crack of the bat and I saw it come flying where that new netting is and it just cleared that new netting and started coming right towards me."
Dylan was in the area protected by new nets, but in an upper row. The bat fragment just made it over the 9'8" net.
"I knew there was no hiding from it," Santos said. "I wasn't gonna be able to dodge it or anything so I kind of just stuck my arm out to protect myself and kind of took it off the thumb."
Santos said Major League Baseball took the broken bat but gave him a baseball to keep and let him go on the field after the game for a photo with his brother.
The protective netting was expanded this season after two fans suffered serious injuries at Fenway Park in 2015.
One woman was hit by a flying bat in June and had life-threatening injuries.
A second woman was sitting along the third base line when she was hit by a foul ball at a game in July. She suffered a slight concussion and received 35 stitches for a gash between her eyebrows.
Santos thinks the nets could be a little higher. "Certainly for younger children I can see why there's a concern there and yeah I think I would definitely raise it up a little bit there," he said.
