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Pete Stendel of Long Branch, NJ, was in the camera well next to the Yankee dugout when the Baltimore Orioles tried to turn a double play off a ground ball by rookie shortstop Anthony Volpe in the fifth inning of the July 5 night game.
The ball hit Stendel, 68, flush and he immediately fell backward.
Everything stopped for nearly 15 minutes before he was carried onto the field from the Yankee dugout on a stretcher and gingerly placed onto a cart.
Respectful applause that began as the cart pulled away turned to cheers when Stendel extended his right arm and gave a peace sign with his pinky extended.
The cart then headed around home plate and past the Orioles dugout to the left-centerfield wall.
The Orioles second-year shortstop, Gunner Henderson, had taken a late toss at the bag from second baseman Adam Frazier on Volpe's ground ball.
With little to no time to get two outs, Henderson fired way over teammate Ryan O'Heard's head.
The ball hit Stendel just above the left eye.
He immediately grabbed his forehead with both hands and fell backward.
Yankee players quickly rushed to Stendel's aid, followed by several trainers.
A photo taken by the Associated Press showed Stendel with his head cradled by a trainer, his face bloodied and one eye closed, clutching his chest with his right hand.
Fifteen or minutes passed before Yankee announcer Michael Kay, who was working the game on Amazon Prime, said Stendl was conscious and talking in the dugout.
A cart was brought in from behind the outfield fence.
Stendel, an accomplished painter, worked on HBO's "Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band: Live In New York City" (2001), the Boss' first-ever major televised concert, as well as that year's Super Bowl halftime show featuring Aerosmith, Britney Spears and NSYNC.Pete also works the roaming steady cam for SNY and was frequently seen getting the dramatic shot of Mets reliever Edwin Diaz coming in from the bullpen.
Stendel exchanged pleasantries with a smiling uniformed New York City police officer after he was strapped to a board and delicately laid on the cart in front of the Yankees dugout.
Jack Curry of YES called Stendel "the ultimate team player."
"He was not even scheduled to be the camera person in the first base area tonight," Curry said. "He was filling in on a hot and humid night (for a co-worker)."
"Pete Stendel is excellent at what he does. Hoping he is safe," sideline reporter Justin Shackill tweeted. "The MVPs of tonight’s game are Tim Lentych, Alfonso Malaguti and the rest of the Yankees training staff, who didn’t blink twice and rushed into action to care for Pete."
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