A baseball fan fell some 21 feet from the Clemente Wall onto the playing field during a Pittsburgh Pirates home game at around 9 p.m. on April 30, according to Pittsburgh law enforcement.
After Pittsburgh emergency medical services (EMS) field workers provided treatment on the scene for about five minutes, police officials said in a statement on Facebook that the man was wheeled from the field in a cart and transported to Allegheny General Hospital. The unidentified man is currently in critical condition, according to police.
The Pirates were playing against the Chicago Cubs at the time of the incident.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family,” the Pittsburgh Pirates said on X.
Andrew McCutchen had just hit a two-run double, putting the Pirates ahead 4–3, when teammates began waving earnestly to medical staff while pointing to the body that had landed on the warning track.
Players from both teams could be seen praying, and McCutchen held a cross that hung from his neck while the man was taken off the field.
Pittsburgh Public Safety, also known as the Pittsburgh police, wrote on Facebook that detectives from the Pittsburgh Police Violent Crime Unit are investigating the fall.
Neither PNC Park officials, Pittsburgh Pirates staff nor Pittsburgh police officers responded to requests for comment.
Pirates manager Derek Shelton said: “Even though it’s 350 feet away or whatever it is, I mean the fact of how it went down and then laying motionless while the play is going on, I mean [Cubs manager] Craig [Counsell] saw it, I saw it. We both got out there. I think the umpires saw it because of the way it kicked. It’s extremely unfortunate. That’s an understatement.”
