New concern about fan safety after bats fly at Ballparks

A broken bat that seriously injured a fan at Fenway Park this month has raised concerns about baseball fan safety.

So ABC-7 decided to take a look at how safe fans are at Southwest University Park and what the commissioner of baseball is considering to try and limit those kind of incidents.

Two weeks ago in Boston, a fan suffered life threatening injuries when a broken bat hit her in the forehead.

“You can see the people like all around, going like this (putting their hands on their head),” a Red Sox fan who witnessed the incident said. “So you knew it was bad.”

“Our first and foremost concern remains the safety of our fans,” said MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, who addressed fan safety this week in wake of the incident, making a few suggestions about what could be done. “They include things like additional bat regulations, wrapping of bats, increased netting.”

The most dangerous place to sit at any Ballpark is just off the edge of the screen behind the dugouts. Balls get to the stands rather quickly there. The best thing to do, especially for fans with children, is to bring a glove. But what if its a bat flying in the stands? That happened twice on back-to-back swings June 11th at Southwest University Park.

“It hit my boyfriend on the head and then it hit the lady right behind us on her knee,” said El Pasoan Claudia Jacquez, who was attending her first Chihuahuas game at the new Ballpark. “Believe me, I won’t be going to those games again, ever in my life.”

“That’s the only two times, I think, we’ve had that happen here in El Paso,” El Paso General Manager Brad Taylor said. “Maybe once or twice there’s been a shattered bat.”

Taylor pointed out signs warning fans about flying objects are all over Southwest University Park.

“They assume their own risk by coming into a Ballpark,” Taylor said.

He added that the phrase “keep your eye on the ball” is not just good advice for players, it’s good for fans to remember too, especially at El Paso’s Ballpark, one of the most intimate in all of baseball. Taylor said the Chihuahuas will adopt any new safety measures for fans Major League Baseball decides to implement.