Everything Under The Sun: A Near-Miss In The Stands

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

A Near-Miss In The Stands

The Cunningham family in a post-game interview.

Baseball and spring training - a chance to get an early look at the MLB baseball team that you follow at home; a chance to experience the sun and fun in those areas of the country that get milder weather at this time of year. And so it was for father, Shaun Cunningham and his son, Landon, together to watch the Atlanta Brave play the Pittsburgh Pirates in a pre-season game.

This father-son duo were up in the stands, cheering for their team. It was Landon's first time at a professional baseball game and he was excited. So excited that he just had to message his mom and sister, still at home, with a photo of one of the players that he had taken a bit earlier.

But at that very moment something happened that could have ended in severe injury for Landon. Danny Ortiz, in the batter's box, lost control of his bat and the bat sailed into the stands, headed toward young Landon's head. And he couldn't even see it, he was so absorbed in messaging.

A shudder and gasp went up from those in the stands, just a moment's reaction. And what father, Shaun, did next made all the difference. At a time when anyone, who saw the careening bat, would have reacted to duck, this awesome father lunged toward his son, blocking the bat with his arm. As the bat then sailed past, it clipped Shaun on the shoulder. But his reaction saved his son. Shaun said, "I didn't have a lot of time to think. I just did anything I could to block it or deflect it."

Since the ball game was an early birthday present for Landon, he was hoping to catch the eye of his favorite player, Freddie Freeman, the Braves' first baseman. When Freddie found out about the near-miss by Danny Ortiz' bat, he decided to send Landon a signed baseball jersey, something that really excited this birthday boy.

Mom, Ashley, had a bit of a hard time with how close the bat came to hitting her son's head. She cringed and became nauseous when she realized how close the bat came to Landon's head. But this whole incident did not deter dad's love of the game. He said, "We're both fine. I'm a little bruised, but I'll survive. I've been through worse."

The bat sailing into the stands and just missing Landon's head (with dad's deflection).

Dad also had a few words of encouragement for Danny Ortiz, "It was an accident; things happen. I wouldn't want it to affect his play. He's a good ballplayer and he's got a shot. I want him not to worry about it. This kid's fine. He's tough."