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New York Yankees: Toddler hit by foul ball, taken to hospital

By Alex Butler

Sept. 20 (UPI) -- New York Yankees players were visibility distraught after watching a foul ball hit a toddler in the face Wednesday at Yankee Stadium.

The play happened in the bottom of the fifth inning off of the bat of Todd Frazier.

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The little girl was bloodied during the incident before being taken to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, according to multiple reports. Yankees manager Joe Girardi said in his postgame comments that Yankees security told him the girl was "Ok."

The St. Paul Pioneer Press reported that the child "appeared responsive" and was taken out of view by an older man.

Frazier stepped up to bat with one out away in the fifth frame to face Minnesota Twins lefty Nik Turley. Frazier belted the first offering - a 93.7 mph four-seam fastball - into foul territory to his left. The sharply hit 105 mph line drive immediately hit the girl. Several fans surrounded the girl and some ran for help as the game was delayed. Yankees star Matt Holliday wiped away tears as he watched the sequence.

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"It was terrible," Frazier told reporters after the game, according to ESPN. "I was shaken up a little bit. I hope she is all right. It is something that I wish never happened. It was tough. Tough to watch. Tough to be a part of, to be honest."

Frazier kneeled down by the batter's box and put his hands over his face and bowed his head.

"The child who was struck with a batted ball today was given first aid at the ballpark and is receiving medical attention at an area hospital," the Yankees said in a statement, according to Sports Illustrated. "The federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, known as HIPAA, prevents the team from giving more information. We will have no further comment at this time."

A Yankees fan was also hit in July on an Aaron Judge foul ball.

"Hope everything is alright with the little girl that got hit with the foul ball...her thoughts are with us for a speedy recovery," Yankees shortstop Didi Gregorius tweeted after the game.

Yankees players said after the game that they think the field needs more protective netting. The netting currently at the stadium ends at the start of the dugout, on the home plate side of the field.

"I thought of my kids, you know," Frazier told reporters, according to the New York Daily News. "I have two kids under three years old."

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