April 30 (UPI) -- A man fell 21 feet from the right-field bleachers onto the field at PNC Park during a game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday night.
The fan was motionless on the ground, placed on a stretcher and taken to Allegheny General Hospital.
Pittsburgh Public Safety said the man is in critical condition.
"Pittsburgh EMS, as well as the Pirates and Cubs athletic training teams and other PNC Park personnel reacted and responded immediately and administered care," the Pirates said in a statement.
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Play was stopped for 20 minutes after the incident during the bottom half of the seventh inning.
A 7-second video posted on X showed the fan moving to the railing of the front row of the far-left section and flipping before hitting the ground.
The Clemente Wall stands 21 feet high in honor of Pirates legend Roberto Clemente, who wore No. 21. Another fan jumped from the lower part of the outfield wall to help the man.
"I want to offer thoughts and prayers with the incident that happened earlier in the game and thank both our medical staff, the Cubs medical staff, EMS, everybody that got to the gentleman and just ask everybody to keep him in your prayers," Pirates manager Derek Shelton said after the game, which the Pirates won 4-3.
With the man on the ground, play was continuing as people were unaware of what had happened.
Players and coaches from both teams urged the umpires to stop play.
"Even though it's 350 feet away or whatever it is, the fact of how it went down, and then laying motionless while the play is going on," Shelton said.
Shelton and Cubs Manager Craig Counsell raced out to the outfield.
"I mean, Craig saw it. I saw it. We both got out there," Shelton said. "I don't think the umpire saw it unfortunately because of the way the ball kicked. It's extremely unfortunate. I mean, that's an understatement."
The fan fell after the Pirates' Andrew McCutchen hit an RBI double to put the Pirates up 4-3.
Players were seen saying prayers or taking a knee.
KDKA-TV posted video of Pittsburgh officers investigating where the fan fell.
In November, Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman Tershawn Wharton caught a young fan who fell from the stands at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. Wharton, while he was walking off the field after the game against the Carolina Panthers, noticed a child reach for a high five and then fall over a railing.
He caught the child, preventing a serious injury, and then helped the child back up into the stands, according to ESPN.
