Extra Innings · Beanballs & Bleachers
Her First Afternoon at the Park
Schentzel v. Philadelphia National League Club (1953)
Charge: Negligence - woman struck in the head by a foul ball while seated in the stands (suit against the ballclub)Court: Superior Court of PennsylvaniaDocket: Beanballs & Bleachers
Is a big-league club negligent for failing to protect a spectator seated in an unscreened section from a foul ball?
The facts
In 1949 a woman attended a big-league game in Philadelphia, sitting in the upper deck along the baseline. She had little experience with baseball. A foul ball struck her in the head and she needed hospital treatment. A jury awarded her a modest sum for pain and suffering. The club appealed, arguing it had screened the most dangerous area behind home plate and owed nothing more.
You have the facts the court had. Guilty or not guilty? Call it in the game with your friends, then see what the court actually decided. Wrong call, you drink.
Citation: Schentzel v. Philadelphia National League Club, 173 Pa. Super. 179, 96 A.2d 181 (1953)
Read more at sabr.org. The source reveals the outcome.