Royal Fan Breaks Ankle Jumping From Bleachers

On what he said was a $400 bet, a man jumped onto the field in Kansas City, Mo., on Thursday and broke an ankle.

Michael Orschlin, a 22-year-old from Warrensburg, Mo., jumped over the railing in the bleachers in the ninth inning of the Royals’ 9-4 loss to Cleveland. He tried to get up but managed only to crawl a few feet.

“When he tried to get up and run, I could see his foot dangling,” said Cleveland relief pitcher Bob Wickman. “I thought we’re going to be here a while. He probably went into shock.”

Play was stopped for about 15 minutes while stadium personnel strapped Orschlin onto a stretcher and carried him away. He was diagnosed with a compound fracture.

Orshlin, who faces a fine of up to $1,000 for a trespass charge, is the third spectator this year who has made the 12-foot leap over the guard rail onto Kauffman Stadium’s hard rubber warning track.

During the home opener, a man broke a foot and fractured his spine.

Another man jumped out of the right-field bleachers Tuesday and appeared to be injured. But the Royals said he was unhurt when he was led away by police.

All three of the leapers have jumped in the ninth inning of a Royals’ loss.

“Maybe we’re not entertaining enough, so people have to entertain themselves,” Kansas City outfielder Dee Brown said.

*

The Arizona Diamondbacks have agreed to play a four-game series in San Diego a week earlier than scheduled to help resolve a scheduling conflict between the Padres and the NFL’s Chargers.

Instead of playing in San Diego from Sept. 7-10, the teams will now play a doubleheader on Aug. 31 and single games on Sept. 1 and 2 at Qualcomm Stadium.

The Padres and Diamondbacks will then play in Phoenix Sept. 7-9.

The switch resolves a conflict between the Padres and Chargers for use of the stadium on Sept. 9. The Chargers, the only NFL club with scheduling priority over a major league baseball team at a shared ballpark, are scheduled to play their season opener against Washington.

*

The Houston Astros put Charlie Hayes on the restricted list while the reserve infielder attends his mother’s funeral in Hattiesburg, Miss.

Houston recalled infielder Keith Ginter from triple-A New Orleans. Ginter will join the team in Montreal for a three-game series, beginning Friday.

*

Baltimore called up outfielder Eugene Kingsale from triple-A Rochester and sent struggling reliever Jorge Julio to double-A Bowie. . . . Texas put outfielder Chad Curtis on the 15-day disabled list because of a strained right hamstring and purchased the contract of outfielder Ruben Sierra from triple-A Oklahoma.