Major League Baseball

MLB to 'carefully review' incident

Published Jul. 8, 2011 1:00 a.m. ET

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Major League Baseball vowed Friday to "carefully review" an incident in which a Texas Rangers fan died Thursday night after falling over a left-field railing as he pursued a foul ball.

Firefighter Shannon Stone, from Brownwood, Texas, lost his balance while reaching out to catch a ball for his young son Cooper Stone that was thrown into the stands by Rangers left fielder Josh Hamilton during the second inning at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

"All of us at Major League Baseball are shocked and saddened over the tragic death of Mr. Stone last evening," MLB said in a statement Friday.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with his son and his entire family. Major League Baseball has the utmost sensitivity to the safety of all the fans that come to our ballparks. Our players are encouraged to be fan-friendly and we will carefully review this incident with our clubs to continue to ensure a safe environment for our fans."

Stone, 39, fell about 20 feet behind a wall supporting the left-field scoreboard. He was treated by Rangers medics before being taken to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth.

Stone went into full cardiac arrest on his way to the hospital and was pronounced dead at 8:26 p.m. local time, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported, citing an Arlington Fire Department statement.

"Josh (Hamilton) is very distraught over this, as the entire team is," Texas Rangers CEO Nolan Ryan said earlier in a statement.

"We are deeply saddened to learn that the man who fell has passed away as a result of this tragic accident," Ryan added. "Our thoughts and prayers are with his family."

Brownwood City Manager Bobby Rountree confirmed early Friday that Cooper Stone was with his father at the ballpark. Rountree paid tribute to the "17 year veteran of the Fire Dept" in a statement reported by the Brownwood News.

"In respect for Shannon and his family, the City of Brownwood will fly its flags at half-mast through the day of the funeral," he said. "This is a tragedy for the Stone family, his firefighter brothers and the City of Brownwood. Please keep the Stone family and his fellow firefighters in your prayers."

Rountree confirmed the plans for Stone's funeral were still being finalized.

The incident came a year after a fan suffered serious injuries after falling about 30 feet in a similar incident at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

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