One incident between a pitcher and a batter made it clear just how dangerous baseball can be when the ball is flying around at more than 100mph.
Jake Faria was pitching for the Tampa Bay Rays against the big-hitting New York Yankees when a 94mph fastball to Aaron Judge came back to him with interest.
Faria’s instinct kicked in, thank goodness.
109 mph off the bat. 😳
What. A. Catch. pic.twitter.com/P3Hc87TXfM
— MLB (@MLB) September 26, 2018
The ball returned to Faria at 109mph, and would have undoubtedly done serious damage if it had made contact with his head.
“I threw my hands up to get my head out of the way, and the ball went into my glove,” Faria told MLB.com’s Bill Chastain.
The Yankees ran out 9-2 winners, but many were simply happy to see Faria avoid serious injury.
Thank God he didn't get hit. That could have been really tragic.
— AJ (@adamj2015) September 26, 2018
Live look at Faria in the clubhouse pic.twitter.com/pe3dTMkFmA
— Joseph Ringeisen (@JRingeisen) September 26, 2018
That would’ve been the one that led to pitchers using helmets for sure
— Jukeski (@joshgonzo15) September 26, 2018
An incredible catch, but more importantly, a potentially life-saving one.