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Royals fan hit in face by foul ball during loss to Indians at Kauffman Stadium

A fan was hit in the face by a foul ball on Saturday night at Kauffman Stadium, which does not yet have extended netting.
A fan was hit in the face by a foul ball on Saturday night at Kauffman Stadium, which does not yet have extended netting. (John Williamson/Getty Images)

A fan was struck in the face by a foul ball on Saturday evening during the Kansas City Royals game against the Cleveland Indians at Kauffman Stadium in Missouri.

The woman was sitting beyond the netting at Kauffman Stadium — which extends just to the dugouts — and was drilled in the face after Indians outfielder Greg Allen hit foul into the stands during the seventh inning.

Event and medical staff rushed to the woman, who could be seen bleeding and holding her face. She was eventually led up to the concourse, though the majority of her party remained in their seats. The severity of her injury is not yet known.

The game briefly stopped during the incident, but continued after just a few minutes.

Many have called for MLB teams to extend protective netting at their stadiums from foul pole to foul pole, as an increasing number of fans have been struck by foul balls in recent years. The Chicago White Sox became the first team in the league to actually do so, putting it up completely at Guaranteed Rate Field this week. The Washington Nationals extended their netting part of the way down the foul line this week, and both the Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Dodgers reportedly have plans to follow suit.

The Royals announced plans to extend the netting around Kauffman Stadium earlier this month, though did not reveal a timeline for the project. The fan on Saturday marks the second this month to be hit by a foul ball during a Royals game. A fan was similarly struck in the head by a foul ball on June 14.

“We’re a club that takes it very serious,” Royals vice president of business operations Kevin Uhlich said earlier this month, via the Kansas City Star. “We’re planning on extending the netting.”

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