Blue Jays fan returns to Rogers Centre after being hit by 110 m.p.h. foul ball
Still sporting a black bruise around her eyes, Liz McGuire was back at Rogers Centre Wednesday night, days after being hit in the face by a 110 m.p.h. (177 km/h) foul ball.
"It's been rough," she told CP24, recounting what transpired Friday night. McGuire said she was in her seat talking to her friend, "and before I knew it, I got rocked."
"I stood up, and I was like, I'm probably fine. But I could tell by the looks of the people around me that I was not okay," she said.
McGuire remembered several children walking up to her to see if she was okay, some even offering their bobbleheads -- a giveaway during Friday's game.
"They were the most concerned about me," she said.
McGuire remembered not feeling any pain, probably, she said, due to adrenaline. She decided to finish the game, hoping that the Blue Jays would rally back from a 4-0 deficit against the Tampa Bay Rays.
The comeback fell short, with Toronto losing 4-3.
McGuire said she went to a hospital after the game to get checked, and fortunately, she did not have a concussion or fracture.
The team, in a statement on Tuesday, said medics assessed McGuire immediately after the incident.
"The Blue Jays followed up with the fan and invited her to be our guest at an upcoming game and offered her a signed ball from Bo Bichette," a spokesperson wrote in an email.
Two days after the incident, McGuire shared what happened to her on social media, posting a picture of herself with a massive welt on her forehead and subsequent black eye and tagging the Blue Jays.
"Hey @BlueJays I got my face mashed in by a 110mph foul off Bo Bichette's bat," she wrote in a post on X. "I didn't even get the ball. I even stayed till the end of the game. Any way you can hook a girl up?"
The post went viral, getting nearly 15 million views as of Wednesday. It was also noticed by trading card company Topps, who announced they had made a card immortalizing McGuire's experience.
The company said all 110 copies of the card would be gifted to McGuire.
"I'm super pumped," McGuire said Wednesday when asked about the perks she has received. She will also get to Blue Jays batting practice access at a future date.
"I'm very excited about it."
McGuire plans to auction some of the trading cards and give the proceeds to Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, which has a concussion centre.
In addition to the perks, McGuire has also become famous among Blue Jays fans, who have been requesting selfies with her.
"Everyone has been so nice to me. The Jays staff keep taking selfies with me and just asking how I'm doing. People keep shaking my hand," she said. "There's selfies of me everywhere. And the thing is, everyone's just been really, really kind to me."
When asked what she would do differently at Wednesday's game, when the Blue Jays face the Chicago White Sox, McGuire said she'd pay more attention to the foul lines.
She added that fans should have compassion for people who get struck by balls.
"This one didn't bounce. It went 110 miles per hour straight at my face," McGuire said.
"I like the community showed up for me and rallied for me. I really feel the support and love of everybody, which is like gone into my own fandom of the game."
With files from CTV Toronto’s Phil Tsekouras
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