Blue Jays' Sánchez Exits Game After Fan Tosses Ball That Strikes His Wrist

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Jesus Sánchez left Sunday's game against the Baltimore Orioles after a ball thrown from the right-field bleachers struck his right wrist. The incident occurred in the sixth inning of Baltimore's 9-5 victory. Sánchez sustained a bruise but X-rays on the wrist were negative.

He wore a bandage after the game and said the injury was not a fracture. "I wasn't trying to play catch right there," Sánchez said through an interpreter. "I just looked at them, and they thought maybe that I want them to throw the ball.

The ball was thrown by a youngster who wanted to play catch. Sánchez had been speaking to the fan in a playful manner during a stoppage in play. "Yeah, you never know what you're going to see at the ballpark," Toronto manager John Schneider said.

"He was kind of talking to a, I think it was a 12-year-old kid ... " Schneider added that he assumed there was no ill intent. "I'm sure the kid feels bad," he said. " An Orioles spokesperson said the club has identified the fan and removed them from the ballpark while conducting a thorough investigation.

Baltimore manager Craig Albernaz said the team does not condone fans throwing balls onto the field. "That's something that I know we're looking into," Albernaz said. " Sánchez said the episode was unexpected but that he would move forward.

"Big surprise, of course," he said. "I never imagined that was going to happen, but it happened. " "It hurts a little bit, but thank God it's nothing bad or a fracture," Sánchez said.