Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson suffered a broken clavicle after falling about six to eight feet off the back of a stage at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Fla.
The 74-year-old had been sitting on the elevated stage at a pre-event dinner for the Joe DiMaggio Legends Game on Friday night, the Palm Beach Post reported Saturday. There was a curtain at the back of the stage but no wall or support behind it.
"After all the interviews were done, he leaned back thinking there was a wall behind the curtain, but there was no wall," said Johnny Elias, a retired bullpen catcher for the Montreal Expos.
"He tumbled backwards and broke something. He could've broken his neck. One of my friends who is a doctor went behind there to treat him."
Paul Casanova, a 70-year-old former catcher with the Washington Senators and Atlanta Braves, fell earlier in the night in a separate incident, but Robinson's tumble was worse, witnesses said.
His exact condition was not clear Saturday but Kevin Janser, the executive vice president for the Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital Foundation, said, "I understand he is doing fine."
Robinson played his entire 23-year major league career with the Baltimore Orioles, winning 16 Gold Gloves, and is widely regarded as the greatest defensive third baseman in history.
He was named World Series MVP as the Orioles won the 1970 title, and was also a world champion four years earlier.
The 74-year-old had been sitting on the elevated stage at a pre-event dinner for the Joe DiMaggio Legends Game on Friday night, the Palm Beach Post reported Saturday. There was a curtain at the back of the stage but no wall or support behind it.
"After all the interviews were done, he leaned back thinking there was a wall behind the curtain, but there was no wall," said Johnny Elias, a retired bullpen catcher for the Montreal Expos.
"He tumbled backwards and broke something. He could've broken his neck. One of my friends who is a doctor went behind there to treat him."
Paul Casanova, a 70-year-old former catcher with the Washington Senators and Atlanta Braves, fell earlier in the night in a separate incident, but Robinson's tumble was worse, witnesses said.
His exact condition was not clear Saturday but Kevin Janser, the executive vice president for the Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital Foundation, said, "I understand he is doing fine."
Robinson played his entire 23-year major league career with the Baltimore Orioles, winning 16 Gold Gloves, and is widely regarded as the greatest defensive third baseman in history.
He was named World Series MVP as the Orioles won the 1970 title, and was also a world champion four years earlier.
