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Hundreds Hurt by Baseballs at Major League Ballparks Each Year: NBC

A new report has tallied up more than 800 incidents of people getting hit by baseballs at major league ballparks since 2012.

At least 808 baseball fans have been injured by foul balls, home runs, and missed catches in major-league ballparks since 2012, according to an NBC News investigation. The injuries range from vision loss to concussions, and there have even been reports of deaths, such as the case of a 79-year-old grandmother who died in 2018 celebrating her birthday at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles. Most of the injuries have come in the foul-ball zone, but some have also occurred during batting practice and home-run blasts. Baseballs weight just 5 ounces, but can be hit at well in excess of 100 mph by top batters and can cause serious injury to anyone in its path. NBC News came up with the number based on lawsuits, news reports, and social-media postings in addition to reports at first-aid stations at ballparks; Major League Baseball and 30 of its teams—enterprises driven by years of statistics on all aspects of the game—declined NBC News’ requests for numbers on how many people have been hurt, with some saying they don’t track that data.