A Florida dad's quick action to keep a flying bat from smacking his son during spring training has gone viral since the scary moment was captured by a photographer.
Shaun Cunningham took his son Landon, 8, to his very first Major League Baseball game for his birthday on Sunday. The Ocala natives attended a Pirates-Braves game in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
In the fifth inning, as the Cunninghams sat behind home plate and Landon texted his mother a photo from his seat, Pirates outfielder Danny Ortiz lost his grip on a swinging strike and his bat went hurtling toward the stands, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Shaun had to think quickly as the bat barreled toward his son's head. He put his left hand out to protect his son from injury.
"I just did anything I could do to block it and deflect it," Shaun Cunningham said on NBC's "Today" show.
The bat hit Shaun's arm and Landon's shoulder but they were both unharmed.
Tribune-Review photographer Chris Horner captured Shaun's quick defensive action, which prevented a potential tragedy.
Landon said his first game was fun despite the flying bat fiasco. He will receive a jersey autographed by the Atlanta Braves' Freddie Freeman.
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"My first baseball game was amazing," he told "Today."
