Braydon Salzman is a pitcher for Huntington Beach, California. In a game Friday against the team from Cumberland, Rhode Island, Salzman was nearly hit in the forehead by a line drive off the (explosive aluminum) bat of a youngster named Ryan McCormick. What saved Salzman? The bill of his cap.

Check out the amazing video. In slow motion, you can see the ball hit the bill of the cap, which then crumbles up as it absorbs the blow:

I’m sure it didn’t feel so good when that cardboard-like bill smacked up against the kid’s forehead, but the ball sure would have felt a hell of a lot worse.

I guess we’ll file this one under “close calls.”

Hat Tip -[Big League Stew]

This come backer was too fast for the female pitcher and before she could get out of the way, the ball struck her in the head.  What makes this play bizarre is how the players continued to play.  One woman dives in to make a great  catch when the ball pops in the air after hitting her pitcher, all the while the injured female remained on the ground.

We can only hope the pitcher was alright.  With the close proximity between the pitcher and batter in softball and baseball, they are always vulnerable to such incidents.  And the woman who made the diving catch?  Good concentration…I guess…