A man attending Wednesday night’s game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago Cubs is in critical condition after he fell from the 21-foot Clemente Wall in right field at PNC Park, stunning fans in attendance and players on the field
The incident happened in the seventh inning after outfielder Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run double to put the Pirates ahead.
Video from the game showed Pirate players running the bases after the hit, and the man falling from his seat onto the playing field. The Pirates said the man was transported to Allegheny General Hospital after medical personnel attended to him.
What is the Clemente Wall?
The outfield wall, which features out-of-town scores from other games, is located behind right field at PNC Park, which opened in 2001, and is named in honor of Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente, rising 21 feet. The 21 feet signifies Clemente’s uniform number. The wall then drops down to only six feet, where the left field bleachers are.
Clemente, who won four batting crowns, 12 Gold Gloves, and the 1966 National League Most Valuable Player award, played with the Pirates from 1955 to 1972.
He was killed on Dec. 31, 1972, when a plane he was on carrying supplies to Nicaragua after a devastating earthquake crashed. Clemente was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973.
The Pirates added a logo on the right field wall in honor of Clemente in 2022, with his name and the number 21. But earlier this year, it became a source of controversy when fans noticed the logo was replaced with an advertisement for an alcoholic beverage named Surfside.
The team quickly announced, after hearing from upset fans and Clemente’s son, Roberto Clemente Jr., that it would add the No. 21 logo back to the Clemente Wall, with team president Travis Williams saying in a statement that the Pirates didn’t intend to disrespect the legacy of Clemente by adding the advertisement.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Clemente Wall: Fan falls from Pirates 21-foot high right-field wall
