Cubs' Albert Almora Jr. visibly shaken after foul ball hits child in stands

Thomas Lott

Cubs' Albert Almora Jr. visibly shaken after foul ball hits child in stands image

There was a scary scene at Minute Maid Park on Wednesday when a line drive off the bat of Cubs outfielder Albert Almora Jr. struck a child in the stands.

Almora was visibly shaken up after the foul ball.

The 25-year-old went over to check on the fan who was injured and had to be consoled by his teammates and manager Joe Maddon.

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The young fan was immediately rushed upstairs after the play.

Almora embraced a security guard after the play and was seen crying on ESPN. He said he saw the ball make contact with the girl.

"That's probably what sucked the most," Almora said, via NBC Chicago. "It's just the way life is. As soon as I hit it, the first person I locked eyes on was her."

He said he didn't remember much from the rest of the inning.

"The rest was kind of a blur, the rest of that at-bat," Almora said. "I kind of came to my senses the next half inning when I went over to the stands."

Fan safety at games has long been a point of discussion in MLB. Before every game, teams warn fans of balls or bats coming into the stands.

In February 2018, all MLB teams mandated that netting be extended down the lines to prevent injuries. As of right now, there is no netting around significant parts of every MLB ballpark as well as above a certain level behind home plate in certain stadiums.

"It puts life in perspective," Almora said. "We get upset when we don't hit, when we make errors. Like I was, I was upset I didn't make that play. Life just put things in perspective."

UPDATE: AT&T SportsNet reported that the child appears to be doing OK.

"The family took the young child back to the emergency room just to get checked on, but all signs are pointing to that child will be okay," according to the report.

The Astros later released a statement addressing the incident. 

"The young fan that was struck by a foul ball during (Wednesday's) game was taken to the hospital," the statement read. "We are not able to disclose any further details at this time. The Astros send our thoughts and prayers to the entire family."

Thomas Lott