MLB Calls For Extended Nets After Bats Fly Into Stands
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A million and a half people hit the ball parks for spring training last year. We're just one week in and already two incidents involving bats flying into the stands.
One of the best plays at spring training happened at Champion Stadium in Disney – and not by a player.
It belongs to a dad who reached out just in time to stop a bat from bashing his son's face.
"It happened so fast I didn't have time to think about it," said Shaun Cunningham. "Once I realized that in fact it was heading for us, specifically my son, I just threw my arm out and tried to block it the best that I could."
But not everyone has been so lucky, like a fan in Dunedin on Tuesday.
A 59-year-old woman was rushed to the hospital after being hit in the head by a broken bat.
Broken bats and foul balls have been around since the beginning of baseball. What's changed recently is the smartphone, which often distracts fans from the game.
In Cunningham's case, his 8-year-old son was holding a phone.
Landon Cunningham and his dad said they had been looking at pictures to send to his mom.
"I was just about to send it when I felt something hit me and I didn't even know what it was. It went flying and it hit my shoulder," said Landon.
The back of ticket stubs and some signs warn fans of the dangers of flying bats and balls, but Major League Baseball has asked all teams to extend netting beyond the backstop and up the baseline.
That hasn't happened yet at many spring training facilities, so fans not paying attention have a chance of being hit hard.