NEW YORK – Baltimore shortstop Gunnar Henderson and New York manager Aaron Boone spoke Thursday with YES Network cameraman Pete Stendel, who fractured his eye socket Wednesday night when he was hit by Henderson’s miss.
“I had a chance to get in touch with his wife and then got in touch with Pete,” Henderson said ahead of the final of a four-game series between the Orioles and Yankees. “He was in good spirits, only he was quite swollen at the moment. Everything was good.”
Stendel, positioned right next to the New York Yankees dugout on the first base side, was hit by a hasty throw from Henderson, who fired high into first base while trying to complete a double play in the fifth inning.
“Any time a ball goes over first baseman or even a batter foul ball happens, you don’t want it going towards a fan. “It just happened to be in the wrong place and I hope he’s okay,” Henderson said Wednesday night after his team’s press conference 6-3 win. “My prayers go out to him. I’m just thankful for the guys who rushed over to help him.”
The game was delayed about 17 minutes as Yankees training staff and medical staff tended to Stendel on camera. The Baltimore players left the field and waited in their dugouts while the Yankees and Orioles, including Henderson, looked on in a silent ballpark with apparent concern.
“Obviously he has a broken eye socket and swelling and this pressure and I’m sure he’s in pain but I have to say he sounded really good, was in good spirits and hopefully he’s on the road to recovery now ‘ Boone said. “I’m glad he can rest at home. Obviously a very scary situation. I know I saw it in real time and it scared me a little.
Stendel was strapped onto a gurney and carried off the field, raising two fingers and waving to loud applause from the 36,022 crowd as he was propelled over the warning lane behind home plate.
“That was incredibly scary and difficult to watch last night – the silence of the crowd for a while kind of said it all,” said Orioles manager Brandon Hyde. “So good that he’s doing much better. It’s nice that Boonie and Gunnar reached out to him. I hope he recovers quickly.”
Henderson, who said he still felt shaken up after Wednesday night’s game, said he felt some comfort after speaking with Stendel on Thursday and was grateful to hear Boone reached out to Stendel as well.
“I’m glad everything was okay,” Henderson said. “He just came up and said, ‘Don’t let this affect you in any way.’ Things happen.’
“Everyone turns to him – it was pretty cool to hear he had a support group behind him. I’m glad a lot of people turned to him.”
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