Foul Ball Rates and Injuries at Major League Baseball Games: A Retrospective Analysis of Data from Three Stadiums.
Andrew MilstenWilliam F BradleyMichael HillWeston SaccoMina HenesPublished in: Prehospital and disaster medicine (2022)
These data suggest that in roughly every two or three MLB games, a foul ball causes a serious enough injury that a fan seeks medical attention. This rate is high enough to warrant attention, but is comparable in frequency to other diagnostic categories. Assessing the risk to fans from FBs remains difficult, but with access to uniform data, researchers could answer persistent questions that would lead to actionable changes and help guide public policy towards safer stadiums.