A New York Mets fan has achieved hero status at Citi Field after saving his two sons from being struck by Bryce Harper’s dangerous broken bat.

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The frightening incident took place during the first inning of the Mets 3-1 win against the Washington Nationals on Friday night. Harper’s bat shattered on an inning-ending ground out, sending the heavy barrel with a jagged edge helicoptering into the stands behind the first-base dugout.

Fortunately, the fan saw it the whole way and was able to get his hand up. He was able to deflect the barrel just before it reached the seats where he sat with his two young sons.

That is so scary.

The bat cleared the protective netting, which at Citi Field extends to the near end of the dugout. Many ballparks have extended the netting to the far end of the dugout because of past incidents that have left fans injured. Aside from extending the netting to the second deck, it appears nothing would have stopped this bat from reaching the stands.

Because everyone was OK at Citi Field, we feel we can point out that this was, by far, the most important play made by anyone associated with the New York Mets during the 2018 season.

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