Man Hailed as ‘Hero’ Saves Young Boy From Flying Bat

Heroes come in all shape and sizes. In this case, there wasn’t a big red “S” on his chest. Just a baseball fan wearing a grey shirt and sunglasses.

During the Pittsburgh Pirates/Atlanta Braves spring training game on Saturday, the quick instincts of one man saved a young boy from getting hit in the face with a bat. While others were ducking for cover, the unknown man used his right forearm to deflect the bat away from the boy’s face. If the man didn’t deflect the bat, the boy could have suffered a serious injury.

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review sports photographer Christopher Horner took and tweeted out photos of the heroic act:

@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

An American hero indeed! By the way, the Pirates beat the Braves by the final score of 9-6.

What a great start to the 2016 MLB season!