A runner on third base in the ninth inning of a high school baseball game suddenly fell to the ground. He seemed to be writhing in pain, and no one knew what was wrong. But there was someone who did: a pitcher named Spencer Smith. And he wasn’t going to let just anyone run onto his field. The 18-year-old senior sprinted out from the dugout and tackled the runner before he could even get off third base. With no time to spare, Spencer grabbed him by his shirt collar, stood him up, and yanked him back toward home plate.
If that had been the end of it, it would have been just another athletic play on a Friday night at Westfield High School in Indianapolis, Indiana. But when Spencer looked down at his hands, they were covered with blood — as were his arms and legs from when he’d finally put an injured runner out cold after tackling him numerous times earlier in the game. That runner had been seriously hurt trying to score from second base during a previous half-inning — only now he’s back up on his feet again (and running). Luckily for Spencer and everyone else on the field that evening, this run was cut short by his teammate laying into him so hard before he could cross home plate again…
The 9-year-old running back who nearly ended Spencer’s life.
Spencer Smith’s life was almost over that night. The runner made a mad dash for third base and was halfway there before Spencer came out of the dugout to make the tackle. But this time, the runner got away from him and went all the way home plate before Spencer could catch up. At that moment, he saw his entire life flash before his eyes and knew that he was about to die — for no reason at all.
Spencer says if his teammate hadn’t tackled him so hard, he would have been able to stop the runner in time. But even still, it wouldn’t have mattered because the next day he woke up with blood in his mouth and on both arms as well as a headache that didn’t go away until days later. This whole incident put an end to Spencer’s playing career early and also made him realize how fragile life is: one mistake can change your life forever.
Westfield High School’s varsity baseball team competes against some of the top teams in the nation.
Westfield, an Indiana school with a varsity baseball team, has always been one of the best teams in the nation. Westfield’s varsity team is consistently ranked as high as fifth or sixth in the country. But what makes this team so good? The number one factor is their chemistry: players and coaches have a mutual understanding of each other’s roles. In this case, Spencer Smith was playing pitcher for his Varsity team when he made a very important play that saved someone from serious injury.
Even more than their amazing chemistry, they are known to put up big numbers on the field. They generally score at least 100 runs an inning, which means they run through opponents like a knife through hot butter.
Spencer Smith – one of the best young pitchers in Indiana.
Spencer Smith – one of the best young pitchers in Indiana is a senior pitcher on the Westfield High School baseball team. As such, he’s faced many batters, but none of them could have been more challenging than a runner who came up to him at the plate during a game against Muncie Central High School.
One of Spencer’s teammates had just thrown out a batter, and when Spencer turned to see who was coming up next, he saw that it was the runner from second base. He immediately realized that this runner was injured and would likely be unable to make it all the way across home plate without falling down again. So Spencer sprinted out from the dugout to do what he does best: get to the runner first and prevent him from scoring before he gets hurt. Spencer knew exactly what he had to do…
The runner who almost made it to second base and then collapsed.
The runner who almost made it to second base and then collapsed. This terrible event would have been avoided if Spencer had not tackled him before he’d even made it to second base. That is why Spencer Smith saved the man’s life that night at Westfield High School.
What really happened on that fateful Friday night?
Spencer Smith and his teammates were playing in a high school baseball game when a runner on third base in the ninth inning suddenly fell to the ground. The player had been injured earlier, but he was back up on his feet again. Spencer ran out of the dugout to tackle him before he could even get off third base. When Spencer looked down at his hands, they were covered with blood — as were his arms and legs from when he’d finally put an injured runner out cold after tackling him numerous times earlier in the game. If that had been the end of it, it would have been just another athletic play on a Friday night at Westfield High School in Indianapolis, Indiana. But when Spencer looked down at his hands, they were covered with blood—as were his arms and legs from when he’d finally put an injured runner out cold after tackling him numerous times earlier in the game. Luckily for everyone else on the field that evening, this run was cut short by his teammate laying into him so hard before he could cross home plate again…
The true story of what happened over these few minutes would probably be different if not for Spencer Smith’s quick thinking and brave action—and it all added up to one big win for their team!
Spencer and his teammates find out what they can do to prevent a play like this from happening again.
After the run, Spencer and his teammates had a conversation about how to prevent this type of injury from happening again. They came up with a plan that involved the entire team staying in their positions, having players call outs, and having coaches communicate during the game. Now when things happen during the game that could be considered dangerous, everyone knows what to do.
Spencer Smith is just one of many people who are willing to do anything for their team. He has helped his team win a lot of games and has been recognized as an All-American pitcher in baseball.
That wasn’t the end of Spencer’s heroics on Friday, May 11, 2016!
In the fourth inning of the game, Spencer was pitching and got a high fly ball near the fence. He made a leaping grab in right-center field just inches from the wall and caught it, only to be met with another runner on third base trying to score. With no time to spare, Spencer tackled him again and put him out for good — saving not only his own life but also that of an outfielder who would have otherwise been thrown into the wall by being hit with the ball.
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What people are saying about Spencer’s story.
#1 “I’m in awe of what he did.”
#2 “He saved his teammate’s life.”
#3 “He went out on a limb. And you have to give it to him, because I don’t know if he would have been able to do that without the adrenaline.”
#4 “He was a hero!”
