Chicago White Sox Fan Catches Bat Hurdling Into Crowd, Saving Young Kids
Eileen Depesa is one lucky Chicago White Sox fan, but those sitting around her at Monday’s game are even luckier.
The fan was sitting on the left-field line when batter Tyler Flowers lost his grip on the bat, sending it flying end over end toward Eileen’s section.
While fans all round Eileen were ducking for cover, including some young kids right in the path of the flying piece of wood, Eileen just calmly reached up and grabbed the bat with her bare hand.
Depesa wasn’t allowed to keep the bat as spectators get to do when they catch a foul ball, but said she was just happy that the infant seated with the people behind her stayed safe.
“I was more concerned with protecting the baby seated behind me,” Depesa said.
As Bleacher Report noted, Eileen Depesa was a “grabber” among a sea of “duckers.”
The report noted:
“The same cannot be said for her male companion, however. The man seated next to Depesa went into full air-raid-under-the-desk formation when the bat flew into the stands. He did everything but plug a finger in each ear.”
“This is the difference between duckers and grabbers”.
“Where duckers look at a foul ball or flying bat and see their imminent demise, grabbers find glory (or a baseball to the incisors).”
The play made the giant replay screen at the stadium, with fans giving a standing ovation for Depesa and her amazing catch. It was even more impressive when people noticed that the person behind her was cradling a baby, who was directly in the line of fire.
The catch itself made the rounds on Tuesday, with coverage on MLB.com, as well as sports outlets and blogs nationwide.
Eileen Depesa got an even happier ending after her incredible catch. White Sox slugger Dayan Viciedo hit a three-run home run and the White Sox won 6-2 against the Cleveland Indians.
