This could have been *really* nasty.
Ahead of the new baseball season over in the US, Pittsburgh Pirates faced the Atlanta Braves in a spring training game in Kissimmee Florida.
During the game, an errant bat flew into the stands and appeared destined to strike an unsuspecting child full in the face.
Thankfully, the man next to the child was able to stretch out an arm and deflect the bat away just in time – as shown by the pictures below.
@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