During Sunday's game at Yankee Stadium, one of baseball's home crowd traditions took a turn for the worse after Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista belted a home run during the fourth inning of the contest and a Yankees fan did his part by throwing it back onto the field.
Unfortunately, for Brett Gardner, the rejected ball ends up hitting the Yankees outfielder in the head as it's thrown back on the field.
Here's a view of the errant throw from the stands:
#BrettGardner hit in the head by baseball that someone threw back #Yankees @Yankees @espn @SportsCenter @BlueJays pic.twitter.com/toDY0oZNii
— Trevor Solan (@TrevorSolan) August 9, 2015
Gardner told the Associated Press that he was glad he wasn't hurt by the throw.
"I just wore it. Didn't even turn around," he said. "It wasn't like it was coming from the second row. It was a long ways away."
And said he had a little bump on his shaved noggin.
"I've got a hard head, so it's all good," he joked. "It's over with. Glad I didn't get hurt."
The 15-year-old fan responsible for the throw got a warning from security, but was not ejected from the game. It's doubtful he was aiming for Gardner, and the whole thing was just an unfortunate incident.
Next time just give the ball to some kid.
