Incidents Reported in 2025
Below is a chronological account of injuries and noteworthy incidents involving balls and bats hitting fans, players, umpires and others in Major League Baseball in 2025. These were gathered through a combination of traditional reporting and modern monitoring techniques that FBSN can now apply retroactively to prior seasons.
October 2025
Tigers Player Chris Paddack was struck by a foul ball in the dugout. The announcer laughed it off as Paddack walked into the camera’s line of sight. “He emerges, like a phoenix, rising from the ashes,” he chuckled.
Mary Hart’s husband, Burt Sugarman was struck in the chest by a foul ball behind the Dodgers home plate. Medical staff is shown tending to him on the live broadcast, while the announcer insensitively remarked “Should’ve brought a glove!”
“Yikes, Look Out!” the announcer remarked on the televised broadcast of the Mariners game, as Jorge Polanco’s bat broke and flew into the stands.
September 2025
A social media user shared he took a line-drive right off the bat at a Padres game. "I can barely move my ring finger," he writes.
Red Sox reporter Natalie Noury was struck in the arm by a foul ball, and had to pixelate the wound image before it could be shared online.
An innocent fan was struck in the throat and injured when a catcher for the Royals threw a ball into the stands out of anger, attempting to hit a fan who was heckling him.
Amanda Brennaman, wife of long-time Reds Broadcaster Marty Brennaman, was struck by a foul ball in the chest after it sailed over the netting.
A social media user shared footage of a foul ball striking a fan in the eye in the row in front of him at a Marlins game. "You can see blood instantly," a user commented.
A Tigers vs. Marlins game was delayed after a foul ball shattered a camera directly behind home plate.
A social media user shared pictures of her bleeding ear after she was struck by a foul ball at a Rangers game. She shared she had a horrible headache and bruising the next day. The usher told her in her 13 years of working at the stadium, she was the ‘most polite person who had been hit.’
August 2025
A foul ball struck a security guard working the game. He is seen on the broadcast falling to the ground after the ball strikes him.
A woman was struck in the eye by a ball at a Braves game.
A social media user shared footage of a woman getting escorted out of a Phillies game in a wheelchair by medical staff, while icing her head. "She must not have seen that homerun ball coming," the user wrote.
A child is shown on the televised broadcast, being struck by a foul ball in the stands during batting practice at a Padres game.
A ball is shown shattering the home base umpire’s neck guard on the live broadcast of the Rockies game.
July 2025
A mother was struck by a foul ball at an A’s game while handing food to her children. Her husband instinctively threw his hands up to catch it, but missed. Cooper Neill shared that he was hit in the brow by a foul ball and experienced facial swelling and a corneal scratch. “It took a few days for the swelling to go down enough for me to open my eye and about two weeks for my vision to get back to normal,” he writes.
Reporter Audra Martin took a foul ball line-drive to the stomach, resulting in a bruise. “Ever wondered what a line drive foul ball to the gut looks like?,” she shared on social media.
A toddler was hit by a foul ball at a Braves game. She is seen on the televised broadcast crying out in pain.
Mets announcer Keith Hernandez was nearly hit in the head by a foul ball in the booth. The crew laughed it off, noting how close it came.
A woman was hit in the ankle by a foul ball at a Yankees game. She shared video footage to social media of her icing her ankle in the stands. "What a shot," she wrote.
A woman shared images of her 13 year-old autistic son on a gernie after he was struck in the nose by a foul ball at a Dodger game.
A man shared an image of his eye after it was struck by a foul ball at a Guardians game, emphasizing that he was paying close attention when the incident occurred.
A social media user shared footage of fans crowding around a foul ball victim who was struck during a game at Dodger Stadium. "Ouch," they wrote.
A woman shared footage of her two co-workers getting struck in the face by a foul ball at a Red Sox game, during a company outing.
A security guard is seen being struck in the head by a foul ball during the televised broadcast of the Brewer's Alumni Homerun Derby.
A social media user shared an image of a giant bruise on their thigh, due to getting struck by a foul ball during a Mets game.
A social media user shared she was struck by a foul ball at a Yankees Game.
June 2025
A woman was hit in the face by a homerun ball (not a foul ball) at a Phillies game and taken to the hospital.
A woman on social media reported a child was struck in the head by a foul ball that flew over the netting behind the Phillies dugout. “It bounced super high off the child's head,” she reported, and said the injured child was crying.
Rays pitcher Hunter Bigge exited on a stretcher after being hit in the head by a foul ball in the dugout. He received surgery for several facial fractures.
A bat flew into the seats at Yankee Stadium. One broadcaster remarked, “Fortunately, nobody was in harm’s way of that boomerang,” while another admitted the Yankees “have one of the lower nets.”
A social media user posted that he had been hit by a foul ball at an Astros game and was mildly concussed.
Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz suffered a concussion after being hit by an 82 mph foul ball in the dugout.
Seattle Mariners player Julio Rodriguez was drilled in the shin by a foul ball while waiting in the on-deck circle. “You could hear that all the way up here,” the broadcaster announced, referring to the sound the ball made when striking Rodriguez’s leg.
May 2025
A young boy was hit in the head by a foul ball at a Braves game. Video footage shows him bleeding and crying out in pain.
Broadcaster Melanie Newman was struck in the head during the Red Sox-Orioles game.
Bryan Woo, pitcher for the Mariners, was hit in the dugout by a foul ball.
A social media user shared video footage of himself shielding a woman from a foul ball at an Astros game. He claims the ball struck him in the hand and "saved her life."
April 2025
A man suffered a broken nose from a ricocheting foul ball during batting practice at an Astros game. Blood covered the seats and floor. A witness posted, “BP (batting practice) is dangerous, y’all” to his social media account.
Bleacher Report shared a video of a woman struck by a foul ball at a Braves game. “That hurt,” a broadcaster exclaimed. “Yeah it did,” another responded. Then, three more foul balls were hit towards her in the same at bat (AB). “Look out!” the announcers shouted, laughing as the woman mouthed, “Oh, come on!”
Veteran Umpire Hunter Wendelstaadt was hit in the face by a foul ball during the Twins-Mets game. He was hospitalized and has not yet returned to work.
A social media user shared video footage of her ankle, showing visible stitching from the baseball that hit her at the Rockies game.
Just three days later, a Dodgers fan shared a viral clip of the aftermath of her being struck by a “100mph foul ball.” Her lip showed visible swelling and she reported that it was difficult to speak. “That happens a lot over here,” the medic tells her in the video. “It happens a lot?,” she asks, in shock.
That same night, a woman at PNC park was struck in the head by a foul ball, requiring stitches and a head wrap from stadium medics.
A foul ball sailed into the camera well at a Marlins game, where camera crew are seen ducking behind desks to avoid injury. The foul ball struck a monitor, which a woman was using to shield herself.
March 2025
Mariners radio broadcaster Rick Rizzs was hit in the back of the head by a foul ball that sailed over the netting and into the booth during a Spring Training game against the Brewers.
Two weeks later, sportswriter Jake Devin was hit in the face by a line-drive at a Yankees game. He suffered multiple fractures, blacked out, and was taken to the ER. He writes, “I stood up in a state of shock as blood began to pour from my face.”
More Unreported Injuries
Using modern tools, Foul Ball Safety Now has uncovered numerous previously overlooked injuries from past years. This strongly suggests that the 2025 findings are just the tip of the iceberg. Many injuries have likely gone unreported, unrecorded, or ignored.
Below are just a few examples that FBSN surfaced with minimal effort, reinforcing the need for comprehensive retrospective research across previous seasons.
2024
A social media user shared a firsthand account of witnessing a man struck by a foul ball at a Dodgers game. "It sounded like the ball hit cement. Except it wasn't cement, it was his face. He was bleeding significantly and had to be helped out," the user wrote.
A social media user reported that his friend was struck by a home ball behind home plate at the Mets game, dropping a tray of drinks.
A social media user shared that a fan was 'nailed' in the face by a foul ball during a Guardians game. "It didn't look good," they wrote.
A social media user shared they took a 'foul ball to the face' at a Padres Game.
October 2024
Royals player Michael Wacha was struck by a foul ball in the team's dugout.
September 2024
ESPN shares a video of a woman getting struck in the head by a foul ball at a Reds game. She was later seen icing her head.
August 2024
A social media user shared an image of her mother lying in a hospital bed being treated for shock trauma after she was struck in the head by a foul ball at an Orioles game.
During the televised broadcast, a bat boy for the Red Sox is seen being struck in the head by a foul ball and then tended to by medical staff. "The bat boy got drilled by that foul ball," the broadcaster announced.
A social media group discussed a bat that broke and struck a Yankees home plate umpire in the head and neck. He was carted off the field.
A social media user shared footage of a foul ball that sailed over the net and struck a little boy who was seated behind him. “This kid got rocked by a foul ball in the face,” he wrote.
July 2024
A social media user shares a detailed video explaining how she broke her thumb trying to catch a foul ball at a Mets Game. She says the pain was so bad her thumb went numb and she was unable to move it at all.
A social media user shares a video at a White Sox Game after she was struck in the pelvis by a foul ball and had to ice the area.
A social media user shares a video of herself being attended to by medical staff after being hit in the head by a foul ball at a Mariners Game.
Braves manager Brian Snitker was struck in the groin by a foul ball that sailed into the team's dugout.
A social media user shared footage of Braves medical staff tending to her friend after she was struck by a foul ball.
June 2024
A social media user shared footage of a fan getting struck in the face by a homerun ball at a Diamondbacks game.
A social media user shared footage of foul balls sailing over the net at a White Sox game, and reported that two different girls in her section had already been hit.
A fan is shown on the televised broadcast holding her face after being struck by a homerun (not a foul) ball at a Mets game.
Footage of a Dodgers bat boy catching a line-drive barehanded in the dugout made news, as he saved Shohei Ohtani from getting struck in the face.
May 2024
A social media user shares the aftermath of an Astros foul ball shattering his car windshield. “Well, we won the championship, but my window broke!,” he exclaimed.
A woman shared footage of herself icing her face after she was struck by a foul ball at an Astros game
A fan was shown being struck in the head by a foul ball during the televised broadcast of a Diamondbacks Game. “Look out! Oh, man,” the broadcasters announced, as they chuckled amongst themselves.
Footage of Shohei Ohtani nearly being struck in the head by a foul ball in the Dodgers dugout was shown on a newscast.
April 2024
A social media user posts some clips from a Washington Nationals game with the caption, “Witnessed that dad in front of me get impaled by a foul ball in the chest.”
A woman shared images of her little boy being tended to by medical staff at Dodger stadium, after he was struck in the face by a foul ball.
March 2024
A Twins cameraman received a catcher's helmet after being struck multiple times by foul balls in the legs in the camera well.
February 2024
A foul ball damaged the window of Reds player Hunter Greene's car during batting practice.
2023
A social media user shared that both his sister and girlfriend were struck by a foul ball at a Padres game. “Their reward for paying $120 for the tickets was getting drilled by a foul ball,” he wrote.
October 2023
A social media user shared that she was struck by a bat at a Cubs game.
September 2023
A social media user shared footage of a man being escorted out of a Diamondbacks game by medical staff while applying pressure to an open wound on his head. "Guy got hit by a foul ball," the user wrote.
A social media user shares an image of her black eye after she was struck by a foul ball at a White Sox game. "Never going again," she states.
Padres player Juan Soto was struck in the arm while waiting in the on-deck circle.
July 2023
A social media user shared that her son was struck in the face by a foul ball at a Dodger game. "It literally bounced off his face," she wrote.
A social media user shared footage of a Yankees game that was stopped for twenty minutes after a fan suffered a fractured skull due to a foul ball injury.
A server is shown being struck in the head by a foul ball on the televised broadcast of the Blue Jays game. She is seen holding her head in shock, while audience members around her react.
A man was blinded after being struck by a foul ball at a Pirates game. “I turned to look at my dad, and his eye was just gone,” his daughter stated.
A cameraman was carted off the field at Yankees stadium after getting hit by a throw and suffered an orbital fracture.
A man was blinded after being struck by a foul ball at a Rockies game.
Marlins third base coach Jody Reed suffered a broken leg when he was hit by a line-drive foul ball.
June 2023
A social media user posted an image of her son icing his cheek and wrote, “Flew 2200 miles to spend a week in Cooperstown and get hit in the face with a foul ball at Yankees Stadium.”
Luis Severino is seen on the televised broadcast putting on a mask in the Yankees dugout after getting struck by a foul ball.
New York Yankees radio announcer John Sterling was struck in the forehead by a foul ball while broadcasting.
May 2023
Willy Adames was hospitalized after being struck in the head by a foul ball in the Brewer's team dugout.
A social media user shared footage of her hand after it was struck by a foul ball at a Yankees game.
A social media user shared video footage of a massive bruise on her thigh after she was struck by a foul ball at a White Sox game.
April 2023
A social media user writes, “I got hit hard in the head by a foul ball at the Angels game today.” She says, “It made a loud cracking noise when the baseball hit my skull plus it was the most immediate intense pain I have ever felt.”
ESPN shared footage of Shohei Ohtani nearly getting struck by a foul ball in the Angel’s dugout. “Always keep your head on a swivel,” they wrote.
March 2023
A social media user shared an image of themselves being escorted out of a Giants game on a gurney after they were hit by a ball thrown into the lawn seats.
2022
September 2022
A social media user shares that both she and her boyfriend were struck by balls at a Braves game. "Ball hits me so hard in the leg that everyone thinks the sound was it hitting the chair," she writes. Later, an outfielder threw a ball into the stands that struck her boyfriend in the shoulder.
Mariners radio broadcaster Rick Rizzs narrowly escaped getting struck by a foul ball in the booth, allowing it to strike his water bottle instead.
August 2022
A fan was hospitalized with a concussion after being struck by a foul ball at a Yankees game.
June 2022
An Angels fan is shown being struck in the face on the televised broadcast.
A social media user shared footage of her husband’s arm after he was struck by a foul ball at a Braves game.
May 2022
Mets security guard exited the game after taking a foul ball off the head.
Rockies reporter Kelsey Wingert was struck in the head by a 95 mph foul ball, requiring stitches.
A social media user shared that she was ‘wrecked in the face’ by a foul ball at a Dodgers game, ruining her new veneers.
Red Sox star Rafael Devers was struck by a foul ball while waiting in the on-deck circle.
March 2022
Phillies broadcaster Tom McCarthy was struck by a foul ball in the chest.
2021
October 2021
A fan exited on a stretcher after being struck in the face by a foul ball at a Rays game.
A woman was blinded after being struck by a foul ball thrown into the stands.
September 2021
Social media user shares a picture of her ice pack and ball after getting hit in the head at a Padres game.
White Sox outfielder Eloy Jiminez was struck by a foul ball in the knee while sitting in the dugout, suffering a significant bone bruise.
August 2021
Social media user shares footage of her 12-year old daughter attempting to catch a homerun ball (not a foul ball) at a Texas Rangers game. “It hit her hand and then her shoulder,” she writes. “She had tears in her eyes.”
May 2021
Social media user reports that she got a black eye from a foul ball that bounced off the seats behind her and then struck her in the face at a Mariners game.
A young girl was struck by a foul ball that ricocheted into the crowd at a Braves game.
April 2021
A Red Sox fan is shown getting struck in the head on the televised broadcast, along with an audible audience reaction of shock/horror.
Resources to Learn More
Our research shows that despite pictures and videos of fan injuries garnering 1.5 million views on social media in 2025, this issue is still unresolved. Social media is not moving the needle and fans remain in grave danger and in harm’s way.
Based on this NBC report our projections show roughly 5,000 fans sustained injuries from baseballs during 2012-2019.
FBSN’s EXHIBIT A , a well-produced 5-minute ESPN video from 2019, is a powerful smoking gun demonstrating just how bad the situation remains in netting status in many ballparks across America.