The job of an umpire seems to get harder every day, and one local Florida umpire has added hero to his resume?.
Aiden Wiles, a high school baseball player who also works as an umpire, was calling ball and strikes at a Mother's Day 7U tournament at Ed Austin Park in Fort Caroline, Florida, when a dust devil broke out in the middle of the game.
When the mini tornado of dirt trapped the catcher, Wiles raced in to pull the kid out of it. You can even hear one parent thank Wiles in the video, which has since gone viral.
Umpire Rescues Young Catcher From Dust Devil
Wow.
Great job by the umpire here pic.twitter.com/sT7dAPDVm9
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) May 15, 2023
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While the rest of the players and coaches remained shocked at what was happening, Wiles didn't hesitate to jump into action.
According to the Daily Mail, neither Wiles or the young catcher was hurt in the incident. Dust devils are common weather occurrences, especially in states such as Arizona, but they rarely cause injury.
The video went viral on social media, where it racked up more than 4 million views on Twitter. Many users were quick to thank Wiles and call him a local hero, while others made light of the situation.
"I think home plate is gonna need a brush off there blue," one user wrote.
"These pitch clock violations are getting crazy," another wrote.
Considering there's no shortage these days of videos of Little League parents berating umpires, it's nice to see a positive moment about a local umpire. Great job, Aiden.
