Cameraman struck in head on errant throw at Yankee Stadium suffered orbital fracture
NEW YORK - An errant throw by a Baltimore Orioles' infielder struck a TV camera operator in the head during Wednesday night's game at Yankee Stadium, a scene Yankees manager Aaron Boone described as "very scary.''
After a roughly 15-minute delay as medical staff attended to the cameraman, he was secured to a stretcher near the Yankees dugout.
The veteran cameraman, Pete Stendel of the YES Network, signaled to the crowd as he was carted off the field, raising his right arm as polite applause grew into louder cheers.
Following Wednesday night's game, a YES spokesperson said that Stendel "is conscious and undergoing tests in the hospital after being struck in the head by a ball in tonight's game.''
On Thursday, the YES Network tweeted that Stendel suffered an orbital fracture and is home resting.
"He and his family appreciate everyone’s support," the tweet said.
How Yankees TV cameraman was hit by the ball
Orioles players vacated the field after a few minutes in the bottom of the fifth inning following the incident, which occured during Anthony Volpe's at-bat.
With one out, Volpe tapped a potential inning-ending double-play grounder but Orioles second baseman Adam Frazier bobbled the ball before flipping to shortstop Gunnar Henderson for the force play at second.
In his haste to make a play at first base, Henderson's throw sailed over first baseman Ryan O'Hearn and the ball appeared to strike the cameraman flush in the head. The cameraman was located in the camera well adjacent to the Yankees dugout.
From his dugout vantage, "I saw it right away and it was very scary,'' Boone said. "I didn't see how he fell back, but I knew what could have been possible, falling back, on top of the impact of the velocity of the ball hitting him.''
Anthony Rizzo said he checked with the club's athletic trainers on Stendel's condition and Jake Bauers offered the team's hope that he's "doing all right'' after what appeared to be "a pretty bad reaction when he got hit,'' falling backward after the impact of the ball.
After some tense moments, "it was good to see him coherent, raising his hand going off,'' Boone said of Stendel's signal as he was shuttled off the field.