A quick-thinking Pittsburgh Pirates fan is being called a hero for saving a boy from being hit in the face by a flying baseball bat.
The incident happened Saturday in Florida at a spring training game against the Atlanta Braves.
Pirates outfielder Danny Ortiz was the one who lost his grip on a swing, sending the bat flying into the stands.
“I went home and my wife said to me, ‘You almost killed that kid!’” Ortiz said, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
@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
Photos taken by a Tribune-Review photographer show just how close of a call it really was. The fan’s arm stretches out just in time to block the bat from clobbering the kid in the face.
Other fans in the area duck for cover and flinched too.
Just want to RT this awesome photo by @Hornerfoto1 of dude saving kid from facial surgery during Sat #Pirates game pic.twitter.com/hD35aZTVQU
— Rob Biertempfel (@RobBiertempfel) March 6, 2016