Photographer struck by first pitch at baseball game

A photographer found himself at the heart of the action when he was struck by the first pitch at a baseball game.

The ceremonial first pitch before the start of a baseball game is often thrown out by a celebrity or notable local figure but in this instance was being performed by a member of staff at the Chicago White Sox who had been named employee of the month.

And it is fair to assume she did not earn the accolade for any tasks relating to pitching as her effort skewed off to the left and hit the photographer who was on hand to capture her big moment.

To the credit of the snapper in question, identified by Major League Baseball as Darren Georgia, he still got the shot.

Georgia, who reportedly escaped unscathed along with his camera, even took the blame for the incident, which happened before the White Sox took on the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday.

He told the Athletic: “The flash might have been what caused her to throw (the ball) at me. It might have been my fault.”

For many baseball fans, the moment recalled one of the sport’s most famous ceremonial first pitches – when rapper 50 Cent very nearly struck a photographer with his effort at a New York Mets game in 2014.

The latest wild effort in Chicago happened just one day after the five-year anniversary of 50 Cent’s pitch.