Dust devil swarms youth ballplayer as Jacksonville ump saves the day in viral video
Baseball certainly has seen its share of natural oddities at games: from swarms of bees and other flying insects to a seagull and dove pegged by two future Hall of Famers and even an earthquake during a World Series.
But on Mother's Day in Jacksonville, Mother Nature whipped up one that the minor league Tri-City Dust Devils baseball team would have been particularly proud of. Actually from the amount of social media and national attention the viral video has received, plenty of people are proud of the young umpire who swept a 7-year-old catcher out of harm's way as a dust devil engulfed him.
The crowd applauds 17-year-old Aidan Wiles as one of the coaches gives him a high-five amid a couple of "Good job, Blue" accolades and a "You saved his life."
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The youth baseball game was Sunday afternoon between the Fort Caroline Athletic Association Indians and Ponte Vedra Sharks. The whirling dust storm was brief, about 5 seconds, but dramatic nonetheless.
Both Wiles, who also plays outfield for the Sandalwood High School baseball team, and Sharks catcher Bauer Zoya have been the buzz across the country and interviewed by several media.
The batter had just stepped aside when the dust storm suddenly formed. Bauer was noticeably dazed in the middle of the swirling dust and wind. Wiles quickly realized the boy was in trouble and sprang into action, lifting and swinging him around in the same motion out of the vortex.
“I just saw him freaked out, just like trying to fight his way out of it, and I knew his little body couldn’t get out of it himself, so I just rushed in and got him,” Wiles told Action News Jax's Alivia Tassely.
He told FCN's Zach Wilcox the rocks scratched up his chest and stomach as he initially tried to get out of the way, but he ran back in when saw the catcher needed help.
For Bauer, he wasn't quite sure what was going on.
"I thought it was like the tornado coming right behind me, but it was actually Aidan right behind me, and I didn't know that," he said to Action News Jax. "I couldn't really breathe in there. I was really happy when he pulled me out."
What is a dust devil?
First Coast News meteorologist Lauren Rautenkranz answered the question many on social media have asked: What was that thing?
"It's a dust devil. It's not a tornado," Rautenkranz said. "So what happens on a bright, sunny day, is that we heat up really quickly. Especially when we have that dry air. So, we had the difference in the temperatures. So that's why we had that rotating column of air swirl right up in an unfortunate spot for that little kiddo."
Action News Jax chief meteorologist Mike Buresh also analyzed the video to offer insight on the intensity of the dust devil.
“The winds are probably, maybe 30-40 miles per hour right in the middle of that dust devil," Buresh said. "For a 7-year-old, you’re definitely thinking, ‘Wow, what’s happening here?' You could see him covering his face to protect himself from all that dust."
What happened next during the dust game?
The unexpected dust-up didn’t stop him from continuing to play. After the umpire rescued him, his father poured water on him to get the dirt out of his eyes, and then he went back into the game. His team did not end up winning the championship, but they did go home with Mother’s Day rings, according to News4Jax.
Brian Zoya said he’s just glad Wiles stepped in to help his son.
“A kid that just had the presence in mind to just do that it’s just special to see,” Zoya told News4Jax's Khalil Maycock. “It was pretty cool to see yesterday. He had great parents raising him.”
Zoya also said he has been in contact with Wiles’ parents. So there could be a potential meet-up in the future.
The two said they hope to see each other again.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Dust devil rescue: Florida umpire saves catcher in Little League game
