Baseball fan in critical condition after fall from bleachers at Pittsburgh's PNC Park

The man fell 20 feet from the bleachers onto the field.

May 1, 2025, 11:59 AM

A baseball fan is in critical condition after falling from the bleachers onto the field during the seventh inning of the Pirates-Cubs game at PNC Park in Pittsburgh on Wednesday night, officials said.

The man, who fell approximately 20 feet, was treated immediately by emergency medical technicians, as well as athletic trainers from both teams and PNC Park personnel, according to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The fall briefly halted the game as emergency crews responded.

A fan is carted off the field at PNC Park after falling out of the stands during the seventh inning of a baseball game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago Cubs in Pittsburgh, April 30, 2025.
Gene J. Puskar/AP
A fan lies on the warning track in right field of PNC Park after falling out of the stands during the seventh inning of a baseball game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago Cubs in Pittsburgh, April 30, 2025.
Gene J. Puskar/AP

"This incident is being treated as accidental in nature," the Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety said on Thursday.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family," the Pirates said in a statement.

Pirates manager Derek Shelton said he saw the incident as it happened.

A fan is carted off the field at PNC Park after falling out of the stands during the seventh inning of a baseball game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago Cubs in Pittsburgh, April 30, 2025.
Gene J. Puskar/AP

"The fact of how it went down. And then laying motionless, while a play is going on ... it's extremely unfortunate. I mean, that's an understatement," he told reporters after the game.

Shelton said he wanted to ask "everybody to keep him in their prayers."

Fan Bobby Ketter told ABC News he didn’t notice the fall in real-time because he was watching and filming a "crucial" play, but he happened to capture the incident on video.

A fan falls onto the field at PNC Park during the seventh inning of a baseball game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago Cubs in Pittsburgh, April 30, 2025.
@Bobbk_/X

As paramedics rushed the field, Ketter said those around him huddled around his phone to watch the footage.

"We were all in shock," Ketter said.

When the stretcher was brought out and players took their hats off, "that’s when I knew it was pretty serious," Ketter said.

"I pray that he's all right," he added.

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