Manfred: MLB to re-evaluate fan safety after Fenway accident

By News Staff
The Associated Press
news@abc6.com

SECAUCUS, N.J. (AP) _ Commissioner Rob Manfred says Major League Baseball will re-evaluate fan safety at stadiums following the serious injury to a woman at Fenway Park last week.

Speaking before the amateur draft at MLB Network studios Monday night, Manfred said the sport must “react strongly” to Friday night’s accident in Boston. Tonya Carpenter, 44, suffered what police initially said were life-threatening injuries when she was hit in the head by a broken bat during a game between the Red Sox and Oakland Athletics.

Her family issued a statement Monday saying Carpenter is responsive, and her condition at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center has been upgraded from serious to fair.

Carpenter was sitting in one of the first few rows between home plate and the third base dugout, an area where fans are not protected by netting, when she was struck by a shattered bat that snapped when Oakland‘s Brett Lawrie hit a grounder.

The Red Sox issued a statement in regards to Friday night’s injury:

“All of us with the Boston Red Sox continue to extend our best wishes to Tonya Carpenter, who was injured by a broken bat at Friday night’s game. The well-being of Tonya and her loved ones are forefront in our minds.

Major League Baseball will re-examine fan safety at ballparks, and we will fully participate in that process.”

© The Associated Press/WLNE-TV 2015