Stephen Strasburg warm-up pitch interrupted by little girl

Many big league clubs do it. Kids accompany players on to the field prior to the first pitch. It's a nice gesture by the teams that provides a memorable thrill for the young parties involved. But disaster nearly struck at Nationals Park Sunday when it appeared a miscommunication almost led to a little girl being beaned by a Stephen Strasburg warm-up pitch.

The moment occurred prior to the series finale against the San Francisco Giants. The child involved was chatting with Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond when it was time to exit the field. Instead of running behind Strasburg, the little girl darted right in front of him. Thankfully, catcher Jose Lobaton alerted Strasburg to halt his delivery by putting his hands up (as did second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera). It appeared the Washington ace actually saw the youngster as well out of his peripheral vision. But it was close call nevertheless. It also looked like her father was none too pleased with the move, making a "Get over here!" gesture. The Nats went on to beat the Giants 14-6.

Superstitious

Meanwhile, humans weren't the only interlopers on the field of play Sunday. A black cat graced the pitch during Barcelona's match against Elche. The well-known sign of bad luck didn't seem to affect the home club as Lionel Messi scored twice in a 3-0 victory for Barca.

It's only the preseason

Finally if enthusiasm counted, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Quinton Patton might be a sleeper pick in fantasy football drafts. Check out the second-year player out of Louisiana Tech's reaction to getting a first down against the San Diego Chargers in an exhibition game.

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