Wednesday’s match-up between the Cubs and Astros took an emotional turn during the end of the fourth inning when a young girl in the stands was struck by foul ball.
The Minute Maid Stadium fell silent as Cubs outfielder Albert Almora Jr.’s line-drive collided with a toddler sitting behind Chicago’s third base.
Looking up to the stands in horror, a shaken Almora quickly dropped to his knees in tears on the outskirts of the batter’s box, as a panicked father was seen rushing his screaming four-year-old daughter up the stairs and out of the stands.
It took several minutes for Almora to compose himself and continue the at-bat. Jason Hayward and Cubs manager Joe Maddon rushed to console the father of two during the unexpected interval.
Wednesday’s match-up between the Cubs and Astros took an emotional turn during the end of the fourth inning when a young girl was struck by foul ball (pictured: a panicked father rushes his screaming daughter up the stairs and out of the stands)
Looking up to the stands in horror, a shaken Almora quickly dropped to his knees in tears on the outskirts of the batter’s box
Jason Hayward and Cubs manager Joe Maddon rushed to console Almora, who is a father of two
Almora, still rocked from the incident, eventually returned to bat but struck out before walking off of the field still sobbing (pictured: Almora crying in the dugout)
Players from Astros also appeared to be shaken by the worrying scene.
Almora, still rocked from the incident, eventually returned to bat but struck out before walking off of the field still sobbing.
During a break between innings, the 25-year-old returned to the scene of the incident and spoke with a security guard to ascertain an update on the stricken toddler’s condition.
Told that though she was hurt, the little girl appeared to be okay and was conscious which caused Almora to place his head in his glove and start sobbing uncontrollably in relief.
The security guard placed her arms around a hysterical Almora, who proceeded to cry into the crest of her shoulder as teammates rallied around him offering similar embraces of support.
During a break between innings, the 25-year-old returned to the scene of the incident and spoke with a security guard to ascertain an update on the stricken toddler’s condition
The security guard placed her arms around a hysterical Almora, who proceeded to cry into the crest of her shoulder
Teammates also rallied around the father-of-two, offering embraces of support
Almora and his wife recently welcomed their second son into the world, offering a possible explanation for the center fielder’s heightened emotions.
Officials have not yet provided a public update on the little girl’s condition, but nearby fans who witnessed the incident first-hand say the early signs are positive.
Catcher of the ball that ricocheted off the toddler, David LeVasseur, said the ball had no traces of blood on it and there were none near her seat either. The girl was also conscious.
‘All we heard was screaming,’ said LeVasseur to the Houston Chronicle. ‘We saw this dad pick up a child and run up the stairs. He took off running.
‘I came upstairs and see the first-aid guys up there and the dad is holding the girl. She [was] alert, she’s conscious, she’s fine.
‘I was just going to give somebody in the family the ball. They kind of, naturally, shook it off. I asked the first-aid guy if she was OK and he said he didn’t know.’
Social media was rife with praise for Almora, with thousands of posts on Twitter admiring the Cuban-born sportsman’s compassion.
‘I’ve never seen a reaction like that before. Albert Almora has heart,’ Kristina Ralston tweeted. ‘Shows he’s human and he cares. My heart goes out to him and the injured fan.’
‘I want teammates with hearts like Almora, Heyward and Schwarber showed tonight,’ Dustin Cordier added
Kyle Schwaber – who closed out the game with a sensational home run – was also credited online for his efforts in attempting to block Almaro from the view of TV cameras during his heart-felt embrace with the guard.
‘Schwarber blocking the camera view of a shaken up Almora is the epitome of a great teammate,’ said Curt Zeger. ‘Classy act.’