Q: What is the average number of fans hit by baseballs per year? Are more people being hit now than in past years?
—Kathy Piska, Marietta
A: On average, about 1,750 fans are injured by batted balls during a Major League Baseball season, Bloomberg News reported last September.
Bloomberg News reached that figure by examining the numbers from the injury logs at first aid stations in several MLB stadiums, including Turner Field.
The data doesn’t account for variables such the number of fans sitting in low-risk areas of the stadium and those fans who didn’t report injuries from foul balls.
“There is anecdotal evidence to suggest more fans are being hit, but it could also be due to a heightened sensitivity to the injuries and more media publicity,” Edwin Comber, owner of foulballz.com, a website that tracks foul balls, told Q&A on the News in an email. “MLB lets each team keep records if they want, and those numbers are only released when there’s a lawsuit.”
There are about 73,000 foul balls in a MLB season, with approximately 53,000 reaching the seats, Comber told Bloomberg.
There has been only one death from a foul ball at a MLB stadium. That occurred at Dodger Stadium in 1970, Bloomberg reported.
Andy Johnston with Fast Copy News Service wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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