CHICAGO (AP) — Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Kevin Kiermaier has played through the scenario in his head. There is a big cheer from the crowd, and he sees a fan running toward him.
“Every time I hear the fans go crazy out of nowhere I always turn around,” Kiermaier said. “One of these days I feel like someone is just going to come running at me.”
That’s what happened to Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. on Monday night in Colorado, sending the outfielder to the grass in Colorado. And the episode with one of the favorites for NL MVP occurred just a few days after a shooting police said likely happened inside Guaranteed Rate Field.
While Major League Baseball is on track for a marked attendance increase this year, the pair of high-profile incidents raised questions about safety of players and fans inside and outside big league ballparks.
“It’s always kind of scary when you have situations like we had in Chicago, especially watching the video and I’m sitting there in left field playing a baseball game and all those activities are going on,” Oakland’s Tony Kemp said. “That’s a little bit scary. That bullet could’ve hit me, and you know, I have a family and I have people that care for me and I care for them.”