Cubs-Pirates game delayed after fan falls onto field from bleachers

Wednesday’s game between the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates was temporarily halted after a fan fell 21 feet to the field from the bleachers.

In the moments after Andrew McCutchen put the Pirates ahead on an RBI double in the seventh inning, play was halted and trainers from both teams rushed onto the field after a fan fell from the top of the wall and landed on the warning track of the stadium.

The incident occurred in the right field bleachers at Pittsburgh's PNC Park, with those seats perched on a 21-foot-high wall over the playing surface.

Video of the horrifying fall quickly began circulating on social media, with the broadcasts for the game declining to show the medical response to the incident.

After a short time, the fan was immobilized on a bodyboard and was carted off the field, and players from both teams knelt in stunned silence.

The Pirates released a statement after the incident:

 "Tonight, during the seventh inning of the game at PNC Park, an adult male fell from the right field bleachers onto the field of play. Pittsburgh EMS, as well as the Pirates and Cubs athletic training teams and other PNC Park personnel reacted and responded immediately and administered care. He was transported to Allegheny General Hospital. No further information is available at this time. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family."

A statement from Pittsburgh Public Safety confirmed the city's Violent Crimes Unit was investigating the incident, adding that the man was hospitalized in critical condition.

Pittsburgh Police VCU detectives are investigating after a male fell ~20 feet from the bleachers at PNC Park onto the field of play during the game.

Pittsburgh EMS field medics treated him on scene until he could be transported to the hospital in critical condition.

— Pittsburgh Public Safety (@PghPublicSafety)

Play was ultimately resumed, with the Pirates holding on for a 4-3 victory.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell said he and the team are thinking about the man's family, calling the incident "obviously scary." He was seen on the broadcast pointing out the man to umpires, who immediately halted the game, but Counsell told media he did not see the fan fall.

"We didn't know what we saw," he said after the game. "All we saw was somebody laying on the warning track, and you know that's not good. I hope the gentleman's OK. Thinking about his family and him right now."

Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson reacted to the incident after the game.

“I didn’t see anything happen, but I saw (Counsell’s) face when he came out on the field, and I could tell that it was a very scary moment,” Swanson said. “All we could do was just pray for a good, strong recovery for him and his family. I have never been part of something like that before and I hope I am never part of something like that again.

“It’s a humble reminder of the gratitude we should all have to play this game. Folks obviously come out to support us, and they are a big reason why we are able to do what we do. It’s obviously tough. At a time like that, you want (the fans) to know you love them.”

We will update this story with details as they become available.