Boy narrowly avoids being hit in head by flying baseball bat

Man saves child by placing his arm in front of youngster's face

Atlanta Braves' Julio Teheran pitches during a spring training baseball workout (AP)

Just because a sport is non-contact does mean it is safe, even for spectators - as this young boy found out at Major League Baseball game.

A batter lost grip of his slugger during a game between the Atlanta Braves and the Pittsburgh Pirates, sending it spinning into the stands.

Missed by the Live TV footage, the wooden bat narrowly missed the head of a young boy.

The close shave, however, was caught in a series of photos taken by sports photojournalist, Christopher Horner.

In the images, a man can be seen holding his arm out in front of the boy's face as it spun centimetres away from him.

The wooden bats normally weigh around 2 pounds.

The game saw the Pirates beat the Braves, 9-6.

This incident took place at the Atlanta side's spring training venue, Champion Stadium, in the Walt Disney World complex, outside Orlando in Florida.