In a heroic, cat-like fraction of a second, a fan at a spring training game in Florida over the weekend may have saved a child from serious harm.
As you can see in the photo below, a stray bat nearly hit a young boy at the Pirates vs. Braves matchup Sunday at McKechnie Field in Bradenton. The man next to him, however, was not looking at his phone and reacted just in time.
You really have to see these frames from @Hornerfoto1 for yourself. It was a matter of a few inches at most.
@BiertempfelTrib The two frames showing just how close the bat was to the boy's head. pic.twitter.com/7VwnfWp8L1
— Christopher Horner (@Hornerfoto1) March 6, 2016
The MLB has been under fire for lax netting regulations after several serious injuries in recent years due to foul balls and stray or splintered bats. After the 2015 season, the MLB issued a general recommendation for additional netting at all ballparks.
Hopefully these measures prevent the necessity of heroic efforts like we saw here. Thankfully, nobody was hurt this time.
