Blue Jays’ Sánchez exits game after fan incident at Camden Yards

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Jesús Sánchez was removed from Sunday’s contest against the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards after being struck by a baseball thrown from the stands. The incident occurred in the bottom of the sixth inning during a pause in play, resulting in a right wrist contusion for the 28-year-old player.

The Blue Jays confirmed that precautionary X-rays were negative following the injury. Sánchez, who was replaced in right field by Yohendrick Piñango, had been attending to his wrist after the ball made contact while he was positioned in the outfield.

Baltimore Orioles officials identified the individual responsible and ejected the fan from the venue. The fan was described as a 13-year-old boy who claimed the throw was an accident.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider characterised the event as a miscommunication. He noted that Sánchez had been flapping his glove, a gesture sometimes used to invite spectators to play catch between innings. However, witnesses reported that the young fan threw the ball late, after Sánchez had already turned around.

The loss dropped the Blue Jays, the defending American League champions, to a 29-31 record, while the Orioles improved to 28-32. Sánchez, acquired from the Houston Astros in February for Joey Loperfido, is currently batting .287/.324/.461 with six home runs in 57 games this season.