Pirates' Derek Shelton Sends Prayers to Injured Fan
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PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton came out of his dugout in the latest game against the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park, but not for a normal interaction with the umpire.
Pirates designated hitter Andrew McCutchen hit a ball that ricocheted off of Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson, which went into the outfield, scoring both right fielder Bryan Reynolds and shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa and giving the home team a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the seventh inning.
During the play, a fan fell from the Roberto Clemente Wall, or the right field wall, down onto the playing field.
Players on both teams immediately realized what happened after the play and stopped out of respect, as paramedics, police, medical staff from both ball clubs and ushers came to help.
The paramedics got the fan onto a stretcher and put him on an medical cart, taking them off the field, which allowed the game to continue on.
“I just want to offer thoughts and prayers with the incident that happened earlier in the game," Shelton said following the game. "Thank both our medical staff, the Cubs medical staff, EMS, everybody that got to the gentleman, and just ask everybody to keep him in your prayers.”
Pirates manager Derek Shelton sends thoughts and prayers to fan who fell over Clemente Wall from right field seats onto field at PNC Park. pic.twitter.com/OPzqkmiPmJ
— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) May 1, 2025
Shelton and Cubs manager Craig Counsel both immediately came out of their respective dugouts and alerted the home plate umpire, Alfonso Marquez, that a fan had fallen.
While the incident took place far away from where Shelton was at the time, he knew exactly what he had to do in that situation and understood the severity of the moment.
"Yeah, I mean, even though it's 350 feet away, or whatever it is, the fact of how it went down and then laying motionless, while the play is going on," Shelton said. "[Cubs manager] Craig [Counsel] saw it, I saw it, we both got out there, I think the umpires saw it. Unfortunately the way the ball kicked, it's extremely unfortunate. That's an understatement."
The Roberto Clemente Wall stands at 21 feet high, in honor of the Pirates Hall of Famer, who donned the #21 jersey during his 18-year career with the franchise.
Clemente spent his entire career with the Pirates from 1955 to 1972. He made 15 All-Star games, won 12 Gold Glove Awards, four batting titles and was named the 1966 National League MVP.
The Pirates released an update following the game on the fan that fell from the Roberto Clemente Wall, according to Danny Demilio of Pittsburgh Baseball Now.
"Tonight, during the seventh inning of the game at PNC Park, an adult male fell from the right field bleachers onto the field of play. Pittsburgh EMS, as well as the Pirates and Cubs athletic training teams and other PNC Park personnel reacted and responded immediately and administered care. He was transported to Allegheny General Hospital. No further information is available at this time. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family."
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.