[Archive 2021-07-20] Baseball game suspended after three injured in shooting outside Washington Nationals–San Diego Padres game

Historical archive — originally published 2021-07-20. This report records what was known on that date. It is not current news; subsequent events may have changed the situation. Wikinews closed in May 2026.

Three people were shot outside Nationals Park in the U.S. capital city of Washington, D.C. during a baseball game Saturday night between the Washington Nationals and the San Diego Padres at the bottom of the game's sixth inning. The game was suspended until the next day.

The District of Colombia's (D.C.) Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) said the shooting happened outside the ballpark's third base gate on South Capitol Street, telling the The Washington Post that one woman was shot and two others took themselves to the hospital. All three have non-life-threatening injuries. On Twitter, The Washington Post's Sam Fortier wrote "[s]tadium employees are saying this appeared to be a drive-by shooting."

D.C. police said gunfire was shot from one vehicle to another. Early reports by the police said four people were injured by gunfire, but this was later revised to three.

Gunshots were reportedly audible within the stadium which led many to disperse, with players exiting the field right after and some spectators fleeing the stadium through the park's gates. Padres players Fernando Tatis, Jr. and Manny Machado opened the gate to the field allowing parkgoers into the dugout, the The Washington Post's Andrew Golden said on Twitter. Both Tatis and Machado along with Padres players Wil Myers and Jurickson Profar helped pull family members and spectators into the dugout's safety.

Spectators were first told to remain within the stadium, but was later being encouraged to leave through the outfield. The park was emptied out by 10:05 P.M. ET (0205 UTC).

At the game's suspension, the Padres were leading eight points to four. The suspended game resumed yesterday at 1:08 P.M. EST (1708 UTC), where the Padres beat the Nationals 10–4, gaining two additional runs after Saturday's postponement. The Nationals rallied and won the game already scheduled for that day against the Padres 8–7, which ended a six-game streak of losses for the Washington team.

Source and licence

Text adapted from Baseball game suspended after three injured in shooting outside Washington Nationals–San Diego Padres game by Wikinews contributors under CC BY 2.5. Paragraphs have been selected and abridged, and formatting adjusted. Contributor history.