A male spectator fell from the second deck onto the field level seats while leaning to catch a foul ball at Rangers Ballpark during the fifth inning of Tuesday night's game between the Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers.
Rangers executive vice president/communications John Blake said the spectator was "able to move all his extremities and was responsive to paramedics.''
Nelson Cruz of the Rangers had fouled a pitch into the club level in Section 235 along the first-base line. The ball hit a seat behind the spectator, who was reaching to snag it before losing his balance and tumbling backward onto the seats about 30 feet below.
The man was taken by ambulance to the John Peter Smith Hospital emergency room.
"I looked up and saw him starting to come down. He hit the luxury box area and came straight down,'' Cleveland left fielder Trevor Crowe said. "It's one of the scariest things I've ever seen. All I could think about was to start praying for the guy. There was nothing to brace his fall or anything. I was just scared that he might have killed himself.''
Indians shortstop Jason Donald looked away when the ball went foul, but the sound of the man's body striking the seats told him that something bad had happened.
"My head was turned, but I heard the crowd react and heard the body hit,'' Donald said. "I was hoping he didn't die. It was really scary. It puts everything in perspective. This is a game and somebody potentially could have lost his life.''
Rangers president Nolan Ryan was thankful that the man seemed responsive and was able to move his limbs. The team did not release the man's name.
"The preliminary indications are that it could have been a lot worse,'' Ryan said.
The Rangers won the game 12-1.
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