TAMPA — Yankees slugger Gary Sanchez’s bat hurt a 68-year-old Lehigh Valley woman in the stands at a spring training game Friday, according to her husband.
Stadium personnel took the woman, who was hit in the shoulder, for treatment.
Sanchez’s bat slipped out of his hands on a swing in the fourth inning. It went hurtling over the visitors’ dugout. The woman — Marta Berrio of Bethlehem — saw it coming, raised her arms and turned away from it, her husband, German, 72, said.
Play was stopped for several minutes after the incident.
A security guard took the bat away, to loud boos from the mostly full crowd at George M. Steinbrenner Field, where the Yankees were facing the Phillies in the first game of the Grapefruit League season.
The guard later returned with a different bat — signed by Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson — and gave it to the couple.
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Sanchez struck out two pitches later.
German Berrio said he believed his wife would be OK. She was at the stadium’s medical office while NJ Advance Media spoke to German Berrio, who was in his seat.
The pair are Mets fans who plan on seeing them play agains the Braves in Port St. Lucie, Fla., on Saturday.
They met in Flushing, Queens — the home of the Mets — in 1969.
German Berrio said he plans to put the bat in his office filled with baseball memorabilia. He said his most prized possession there was a signed Tom Seaver picture.
The Yankees were beating the Phillies, 4-0, going into the seventh inning. Didi Gregorius hit a first-inning solo homer. Aaron Judge also added a blast.
Brendan Kuty may be reached at bkuty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanKutyNJ. Find NJ.com Yankees on Facebook.
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