Jose Bautista’s deep home run in the fourth inning of Sunday’s game came back to hurt the Yankees in more ways than one.
It put Toronto ahead by two runs in an eventual 2-0 shutout. And the fan who caught the ball proceeded to fire it back toward the field, adhering to a tradition customary in ballparks across the country. But the ball struck Yankees left fielder Brett Gardner in the back of the head, leaving a sizable welt.
Gardner laughed it off, acknowledging that the damage could have been worse. A Yankees spokesman, Jason Zillo, said fans were prohibited from throwing any objects onto the field, a directive that is stated clearly before every game.