One Cincinnati Reds fan has become a cult hero after he was caught on camera protecting his newborn baby from a rogue ball.
The new dad caught a foul ball that was heading for his young son's head - all while bottle-feeding his baby with the other hand.
His effortless catch was spotted by camera operators during the fifth inning of the Reds' 9-6 loss to the San Diego Padres at Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park on Wednesday.
Cincinnati pitcher Jeff Hoffman bowled to Padres catcher Luis Campusano, who sent the ball flying into the crowd. As spectators and camera operators followed the ball, it was snatched out of the air by Jacob Kingsley, who miraculously caught it with one hand and without disturbing his baby son Shepherd.
The crowd erupted in cheers. Kingsley's wife screamed and clapped in disbelief, while he held his hand up in celebration and soaked up the applause.
Even the commentators were impressed. "Holds the ball, no spillage, baby in perfect bliss and a souvenir," said one, while the other added: "That’s sensational … That’s the play of the night right now."
After the game, the super dad chatted to Bally Sport Ohio broadcaster Jim Day, saying that it had been his son's first game.
"[Shepherd] probably didn't even know it was happening, but this will be a great memory to share with him," Kingsley told the outlet.
He went on to say that, in the moment, his main concern had been keeping Shepherd out of harm's way.
"Safety first, obviously. Saw the ball pop up and just wanted to keep [Shepherd] happy. Did my best to protect him at the same time, reached the hand up," Kingsley said.
"Definitely some bragging rights there, too," he added.
The Cincinnati Red's official Twitter account tweeted a clip of the moment captioned: "Catching a foul ball while bottle-feeding the baby... just dad things."
Since then, the video has gone viral on social media, racking up 28,600 likes and over 4,400 retweets.
"Dad of the Year," one fan commented.
"Sign him up! You just know he's able to bat. Dude didn't flinch!" added another.
