BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : AROUND THE MAJOR LEAGUES : Pitcher’s Daughter Bruised by Foul Ball

The safety of Scottsdale Stadium, the site of Matt Keough’s near-fatal injury last week, again was called into question Wednesday night when the 8-month-old daughter of San Francisco Giant pitcher Bryan Hickerson was bruised by a foul ball.

Emily Jo Hickerson sustained a bruised cheek after Matt Williams of the Giants tipped a ball straight back into the stands. Jo Hickerson, the pitcher’s wife, tried to shield the infant, but the force of the ball drove her hand into her daughter’s face.

Paramedics examined the baby, and determined she had a contusion. Jo Hickerson’s hand also was bruised.

Questions were raised about the new $7-million stadium, particularly about the close-range dugouts and the low home-plate screen, after Keough was hit in the head by a foul ball while sitting in the dugout. Keough underwent emergency brain surgery and is expected to miss about four months.

Barry Bonds, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ All-Star left fielder, suffered an abrasion to the cornea of his right eye when he was struck by a batted ball during batting practice at Bradenton, Fla. The injury isn’t believed serious, and Bonds is expected to return to the lineup this week.

Bonds will wear a patch for a day or two to protect the eye and probably will be sidelined for two to three days, Pirate trainer Kent Biggerstaff said. About 90 minutes before Pittsburgh-Minnesota game, Bonds was standing behind the batting cage to the right of home plate when Jay Bell lined a pitch into the cage’s protective netting, striking Bonds in the eye.