Young Mets fan hit in face by ball
Never saw foul liner by Marlins’ Dobbs
NEW YORK – A young fan was hurt when he was hit in the face with a line drive during the first game of a doubleheader between the Florida Marlins and New York Mets on Monday.
The boy was struck in the ninth inning when Florida’s Greg Dobbs hooked a foul liner into the right-field seats, just beyond the New York dugout. Stadium medical workers immediately tended to the boy, who was bleeding heavily. Accompanied by his mother, he was carted away in a wheelchair after the game and taken under the stands to an ambulance.
After the second game, Dobbs said he was informed by Mets vice president of security Rob Kasdon that the boy was expected to be OK. Dobbs said the youngster had a deep cut on his nose, but no breaks to his nose or orbital bones.
Dobbs said he was told the boy’s eyesight was not damaged, and he planned to call the child’s mother to check on him.
“I didn’t see it. I saw the aftermath. It’s just disturbing. You don’t want anybody getting hurt from something that you’ve done,” Dobbs said. “I’ve got two kids of my own. I’d never want that to happen to either of my children. So it’s a tough thing.”
Rookie second baseman Justin Turner had a clear view of the scary scene.
“I saw the whole thing. I don’t think he even moved,” Turner said. “Some guys in the front row jumped up for it and probably blocked him from even seeing it, but it didn’t even look like he flinched or moved or anything because it hit him square right in the face.
“As soon as it hit him, I turned and cringed. I mean, you don’t want to see that happen. I heard his mom start screaming, and I turned back around and saw all the blood and got sick to my stomach,” Turner added. “I hope it doesn’t turn him away from baseball. But I hope he’s OK first. If he doesn’t want to come again to a baseball game, as long as he’s OK, it’s OK with me.”
Following the final out of New York’s 2-1 victory in the opener, Turner waited for the boy by the field-level railing. He took off his jersey and handed it to the child’s mother as a souvenir.
New York manager Terry Collins also stopped by, and Dobbs rushed over to give the boy a bat.