Blue Jays outfielder Sanchez injured wrist after being hit by a ball thrown by a 12-year-old fan; it was a misunderstanding

The Toronto Blue Jays lost 5-9 to the Baltimore Orioles on the road today, and a strange injury happened during the game. Blue Jays right fielder Jesús Sánchez was struck on the wrist by a ball tossed into the field by a fan, forcing him to exit the game prematurely. Although it appeared to be a malicious act by a fan, it was actually a misunderstanding with a 12-year-old boy. After the game, Sánchez explained that he may have given the boy the wrong impression that they were going to play catch, leading to the incident.

Broadcast footage captured a moment during a pitching break in the sixth inning when a ball thrown from the stands hit Sánchez directly on his left wrist. A trainer then came out to check on him, and Sánchez had difficulty even gripping the trainer's hand, prompting the Blue Jays to make a substitution. The boy was later escorted away from the field by security, accompanied by an adult.

"It was a misunderstanding," Sánchez said after the game with his wrist already bandaged. He mentioned that he had some fun exchanges with the boy, "but I wasn't planning to play catch with him at that moment. I was just looking at them, and they might have thought I wanted to play catch." Sánchez also revealed that while his wrist was still sore, there was no fracture.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider also recounted the incident: "He was chatting with that boy, kind of joking about 'want to play catch?' But the kid took the joke seriously and just threw the ball at Sánchez." Schneider remarked that you never know what will happen on a baseball field, "This is definitely a first for me." He added with some frustration, "Anyway, during a game, you're not supposed to throw balls onto the field."

After the incident, the Orioles released a statement: "We have located the fan, removed him from the ballpark, and will conduct a full investigation." Both Sánchez and Schneider expressed their belief that the boy had no malicious intent.