LOOK: Heroic fan saves young boy’s face from flying baseball bat – CBSSports.com

Over the winter MLB recommended increased fan safety measures to the 30 franchises, and among those measures is increased netting around the plate. All teams are expected to install addition netting at their major league parks. Some have done so in spring training too.

Photos like this show why the additional netting is so important. During Saturday’s Pirates–Braves game (recap), a bat flew into the stands and nearly hit a little boy in the face (photo via @Hornerfoto1):

Thank goodness for that fan who reached out and blocked he bat from hitting the boy. That could have been very bad. It sounds as though everyone escaped the incident without injury.

Based on the photo, it appears the boy was looking at his phone when the batter let go of the bat. I’m not sure he would have been able to protect himself even if he was paying attention, but with so many fans looking down at their phones between pitches, it leads to a greater potential for injuries in the stands. The additional netting is a must.