[Morgana]

Well I googled that question.

Yes, athletes have been struck by lightning during games, with tragic fatalities and injuries reported in various sports, including soccer and baseball. Notable incidents include the death of a Peruvian soccer player in 2024, a group of four women’s soccer players in Colombia in 2025, and the survival of Cleveland Indians pitcher Ray Caldwell after being struck in 1919.

Recent Tragedies

Peru, 2024:
.

A lightning strike during a soccer match killed a player and injured several others. The game had been suspended due to a thunderstorm, but lightning struck the field as players were leaving.

Colombia, 2025:
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Four women’s soccer players died after being struck by lightning while sheltering under a tree during a storm that interrupted their match.

Historical Incident

Ray Caldwell (MLB, 1919): Cleveland Indians pitcher Ray Caldwell was struck by lightning during a game. He was knocked unconscious but revived and was able to finish the game, though the incident caused panic in the stadium.

Other Incidents

Colombia, 2025:
.

In a separate incident from the one that killed the four women, another male player in the same Colombian match later died after being injured by lightning.
Brazil, 2024:
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A 21-year-old soccer player in Brazil was also killed by a lightning strike on the pitch.

[poinq]

An empty pitch in a mountain city in South America is not the same as a stadium in the US. The stadium is a lightning rod. As long as you are not standing on the rim holding a flag pole I think you are safer than anywhere else.

[BobL]

“Four women’s soccer players died after being struck by lightning while sheltering under a tree during a storm that interrupted their match.”

Not sure why they have trees on a soccer field, but being that it’s “women’s soccer”, perhaps they figured that no fans would be around to ask questions.

[mmichaels1970]

1919 Cleveland Indians pitcher Ray Caldwell: Hold my beer.

Unconscious. Some remember his uniform smoldering. Emotionally stunned, the stadium held its breath. And then came what can only be called a miracle.

"However in two or three minutes, he woke up and he was in a sitting position. Then he stood up," Longert said.

Applause rippled through the ballpark. "HE'S ALIVE," came shouts from throughout League Park.

His teammates tried to walk him to the clubhouse.

But Caldwell barked "Heck no!" or something like that. "He said, 'Gimme the ball and point me to the direction of home plate.'" In today's world, a game would not resume with lightning in the area and certainly not for a player who had been struck by lightning. But in 1919, the game went on.

So did Ray Caldwell, who went all nine innings. And he won.

[mmichaels1970]

Nice post by the way!