A little league batter from Oklahoma stopped the game to comfort a distraught pitcher from East Texas — just moments after that pitcher had hit him in the head with a pitch.
Video of the whole scene — which took place during the the first inning of Tuesday’s Little League World Series Southwest Region Championship game — went viral after @Jomboy shared it on Twitter with the caption, “‘Hey, you’re doing just great,’ Oklahoma little leaguer gets hit in the head and then comforts the pitcher who is shaken up afterward.”
"Hey, you're doing just great"
Oklahoma little leaguer gets hit in the head and then comforts the pitcher who is shaken up afterward pic.twitter.com/hYYLiy511K
— Jomboy (@Jomboy_) August 9, 2022
The video began with the Oklahoma player — Isaiah Jarvis — waiting for the pitch. As it got closer, he appeared to realize it wasn’t coming over the plate, recoiling slightly — but not enough to avoid impact. The ball struck the batter in the cheek, glancing off his helmet and knocking the helmet to the ground.
Jarivs spun around and dropped to the ground holding his head in his hands as the umpire bent over to make sure that he was all right. An instant replay showed the umpire holding out his hands to stop the game before he checked on the player.
The video then cut to the Jarvis, back on his feet and taking his base at first with his helmet still in hand. He shouted something unintelligible toward the pitchers’ mound — then tossed his helmet onto the ground and walked into the infield.
He made a beeline for the pitcher, Kaiden Shelton, who was clearly distraught, and hugged him right there on the mound. Jarvis could be heard consoling Shelton, telling him, “Hey, you’re doing just great.”
“Look, we all know that Twitter can be an absolute sewer full of cynicism, negativity and downright stupidity but these kids are 12 years old! It’s not the big leagues. If you can’t find the good in this and revel in grass roots sportsmanship and compassion, you’re hopeless,” Howie Rose — the voice of the Mets — tweeted in response.
Keith Boykin added, “This is how we build a kinder, gentler nation — by seeing the humanity of those in need. If kids can do it, adults can do it too.”
“This is so good. So good,” former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer remarked.
“So classy and thoughtful. We should really celebrate young people when they are kind,” Fox News anchor Shannon Bream said. “We’ve all made countless mistakes. How generous when someone encourages us to keep going, especially if they were the ones on the other end of our mistake.”