During Wednesday’s game, Chicago Cubs outfielder Albert Almora Jr. left into tears after hitting a four-year-old girl in the face with a foul ball.
The 25-year-old baseball player dropped to his knees and became so emotional that his teammates had to console him.
After a few minutes, he stood up and continued with his at-bat. Later he was seen crying and asked security guards about the girl who had been taken to hospital for treatment.
He told reporters: “It’s just the way life is. As soon as I hit it, the first person I locked eyes on was her, so God willing, I’ll be able to have a relationship with this little girl for the rest of my life.’’
“But it’s just prayers right now and that’s all that I can control.’’
“I’m speechless, I’m at a loss of words. Being a father of two boys, I wanna put a net around the whole stadium but… I don’t know, I’m sorry.’’
He added: “It puts life into perspective. We get upset, don’t hit, make errors. I was upset I didn’t make that play and life just kind of, you know, puts things in perspective.”
Cubs manager Joe Maddon told reporters that he said to Almora Jr. not to blame himself for the accident.
Maddon told: “I just wanted him to understand, ‘This is not under your control. There’s nothing you could’ve done about that differently, so please don’t blame yourself.’”
“Of course, it’s an awful moment, but it’s a game and this is out of your control and you just have to understand that part of it.”
David LeVasseur caught the ball that hit the girl, he told the local police that there was no blood on seat and the ball.
Speaking to Houston Chronicle, he said: “He rips a line drive down the third-base line and it comes in and it looks like it hits someone hard.’’
“It bounces, comes down and hits the guy to my left off (a) ricochet and the next thing you know it’s at my feet. I pick it up and all we heard was screaming.”
A statement released by Houston Astros reads: “The young fan that was struck by a foul ball during tonight’s game was taken to the hospital.’’
“We are not able to disclose any further details at this time. The Astros send our thoughts and prayers to the entire family.”