I gotta figure the odds are even smaller than Cecil stated because every yo-yo in the stadium is on the lookout for a souvenir. Even if you don’t see it coming, the twenty guys sitting around you will. I think you’re more likely to get smothered under the pile of fans trying to catch the damn thing than you are to get beaned by it.
Link to column: What are the chances of being beaned by a baseball? – CKDH
In 1957, Richie Ashburn of the Phillies hit a foul ball into the stands at Shibe Park that hit a woman and broke her nose.
As stadium employees were carrying her away on a stretcher, and during the same at-bat, Ashburn hit the woman with another foul ball.
Right, keith, but Cecil’s figures were purely empirical, so they are already affected by the factors you mention.
Of course, the probability depends heavily on the situation – namely your location, and the number of people around you. I’d bet the lady in Mr. Moto’s anecdote was in an opportune spot for foul balls, especially from that particular batter-pitcher combination.
Or an inopportune spot, as it were. I believe she had brought her grandsons to the game that day.
Hell of a thing.
I remember years ago reading a book called something like Ripley’s Book of Chance which featured unlikely events. The 2 I remember are the night of 8 October 1871 saw the greatest loss of life in a fire but it wasn’t the Chicago fire, it was a city called Peshtigo on the same night.
And the unluckiest death I have ever heard of was a baseball fan who was impaled by a knife that was being passed between his friends. A homerun hit the knife butt and drove it into his chest. The men had been using it to cut up fruit.
Unfortunately I no longer have the book and can’t find a cite anywhere.
Back in 1990 (the last time the Cincinnati Reds went to the World Series), a pitcher (I believe Ron Dibble) tossed a ball in the stands after winning a game. He later stated that he had hoped a kid would catch it. Unfortunately it struck a woman as she was leaving (the stands were clearing out after the game so no one was there to lunge for the ball). I can’t remember if she sued but the local media made a fuss about it. I believe she was more surprised than injured (if it happened today, she’d be more surprised about the Reds winning a game than anything else).
There have been at least two lawsuits: Crane v. Kansas City Baseball Club (1913) and Brown v. San Francisco Ball Club (1950). In the latter case, the judge said the plaintiff assumed the risk, and so could not collect. But in supporting his ruling he showed his true colors when noting that the plaintiff (a woman) bore the blame because she probably wasn’t watching the game & was more likely gabbing with her friend.
A third lawsuit was just decided in a court of appeals on Monday, believe it or not. The case involved Ronald Alwin and the independent minor league club, the Saint Paul Saints. It turns out those disclaimers on the ticket backs DO stand up. Here’s the AP story:
Fan loses battle with St. Paul Saints in appeals court
Associated Press
ST. PAUL - The St. Paul Saints scored a legal victory Tuesday in the Minnesota Court of Appeals, which refused to reinstate the lawsuit of a fan injured by a foul ball.
Ronald Alwin, 53, of Blaine, sued the team after being hit by a foul ball a couple of summers ago while returning to his bleacher seat from a restroom-concession area. Alwin argued his view was obstructed, and that the team should have taken more care to protect spectators who couldn’t see the batter or game from that area of the ballpark.
Alwin lost a tooth and had to have dental procedures done to repair the damage. He sought reimbursement for those costs.
A unanimous three-judge panel of David Minge, R.A. “Jim” Randall and Bertrand Poritsky agreed with a Ramsey County judge who earlier ruled for the Saints, a minor league team that plays at Midway Stadium.
Minge wrote in his opinion that the Saints warn fans of wayward ball dangers on the backs of tickets, signs posted throughout the stadium and with a loudspeaker announcement before gametime.
“As a spectator, Alwin primarily assumes the risk inherent to the game, which includes being hit by a foul ball,” Minge wrote.
Alwin was disappointed with the ruling.
“The biggest thing is it would be a shame if they’re not made to correct that situation,” he said. “It can happen to anybody.”
A while back, I forget which year, somebody got walloped by a foul ball in the Astrodome. I believe they settled out of court, but one of the things that came out of the settlement was a requirement that an announcement had to be made before the start of every game warning of the dangers of hard shots into the seats.
Welcome to the Straight Dope Message Boards, all you new-comers, like keith and F. Jay and ngarhart andIronTaco.
keith, when you start a new thread, it’s helpful to others if you provide a link to the column you’re discussing. Saves time, keeps us all on the same page, etc. I’ve edited that link into your OP. No biggie, you’ll know for next time. And again, welcome!
I believe the last documented instance of a spectator being killed by a foul ball at a major league game was in 1970, when a young man by the name of Alan Fish died as the result of a head injury suffered after being hit by a foul ball off the bat of Manny Mota. (OC Register, March 20, 2002)
I know this is ever-so-slightly off topic, but baseball isn’t the only sport where a mis-hit ball can cause injuries and deaths.
In November 2003, 3 people were killed and 37 injured as a result of a mis-hit cricket ball. Some Muslim boys were playing cricket in Viramgam in India, a place that apparently has something of a history of religious tension. Anyway a stray ball hit an idol in a nearby Hindu temple. Result: abuse, argument, stone throwing, gunfire, mob riot, looting, police intervention, teargas, more gunfire…
Full story from The Indian Express here:
www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=34608