Fans file into New York’s Yankee Stadium in a September 2025 file photo. A woman who was struck by a bat during a June 2 game has filed a $10 million lawsuit against the Yankees. (New York Yankees / Getty Images)
By Michael Schwarz August 7, 2026 at 9:10am
An on-field battle between two Major League Baseball All-Stars resulted in an accident that could upend decades of legal precedent.
According to the New York Post, 37-year-old Stephanie Duluc has sued the New York Yankees for $10 million over injuries she allegedly sustained during a game at Yankee Stadium on June 2, when an opposing hitter’s bat flew into the stands and struck her in the head.
Duluc, chief of staff at the Bronx-based SOMOS Community Care, had fourth-row seats behind home plate.
“It is the one location where the law has long required a stadium operator to provide adequate protective screening,” the lawsuit states.
The incident occurred during an at-bat featuring Cleveland Guardians seven-time All-Star third baseman Jose Ramirez.
After swinging at an offering from Yankees’ pitcher Cam Schlittler in the top of the fifth inning, Ramirez lost control of his bat, which sailed into the stands and struck Duluc.
“Bat goes one way, ball goes another,” Yankees announcer Michael Kay said during the live broadcast. “Bat goes into the stands, over the screen, too. Hopefully, everybody’s OK.”
Will courts rule in favor of this woman?
Meanwhile, Ramirez briefly put his hands to his batting helmet in a show of concern.
Players, including Schlittler, looked on as Kay confirmed that it appeared as if someone got hit.
A clip posted to the social media platform X showed Duluc standing and holding the right side of her head.
Yankees fan sues for $10 million after bat thrown into stands clobbers her in the head.
Read more: https://t.co/5c45vFoGaS pic.twitter.com/azPrShwgqH
— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) August 6, 2026
Duluc’s lawsuit described the netting in her section as “significantly lower” than in nearby sections, resulting in an “unprotected opening.”
Ramirez’s bat then acted like a missile, her suit alleged, striking Duluc “with such force that it knocked her from her seat and violently threw her to the ground, causing her to sustain severe and permanent injuries.”
Indeed, the health care executive finds herself “unable to return to her professional duties” due to traumatic brain injury, concussion, permanent damage to hands and neck, as well as extreme light sensitivity, according to the suit.
For decades, the so-called “Baseball Rule” has shielded teams and owners from liability in such instances. That legal doctrine, according to the New York Post, does require clubs to provide protective netting in front of seats where fans face the greatest danger from errant bats and balls, including Duluc’s fourth-row seats.
Thus, the success of Duluc’s lawsuit could hinge on whether the netting in her section satisfied the “Baseball Rule.” Or, it could hinge on a court’s willingness to review the “Baseball Rule” exemption itself.
One of the more memorable incidents of this kind occurred during a 2019 game between the Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros. In that game, Cubs outfielder Albert Almora Jr. lined a ball into the stands down the third-base line, striking a young girl. Overcome with concern and grief, Almora went down to one knee, cried, and later had to be comforted by a security guard.
The stadium in Houston was silent after a 6 year old girl was struck by a foul ball off the bat of Albert Almora Jr
The poor guy cried for that little girl just like she was his own child, any parent would be upset by this. It was a very basic accident that could happen at any… pic.twitter.com/xmA7S5yXPk
— BaseballHistoryNut (@nut_history) July 8, 2026
The girl suffered a skull fracture and a brain injury, ESPN reported in 2021. Her family and the Astros agreed to a settlement in 2021, according to ESPN.
In 2020, MLB clubs extended the protective netting in stadiums, in many cases from foul pole to foul pole.
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Michael Schwarz holds a Ph.D. in History and has taught at multiple colleges and universities. He has published one book and numerous essays on Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and the Early U.S. Republic. He loves dogs, baseball, and freedom. After meandering spiritually through most of early adulthood, he has rediscovered his faith in midlife and is eager to continue learning about it from the great Christian thinkers.
Michael Schwarz holds a Ph.D. in History and has taught at multiple colleges and universities. He has published one book and numerous essays on Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and the Early U.S. Republic. He loves dogs, baseball, and freedom. After meandering spiritually through most of early adulthood, he has rediscovered his faith in midlife and is eager to continue learning about it from the great Christian thinkers.
