Little Leaguer Comforts Pitcher Who Hit Him in the Head in Moving Display of Sportsmanship

Courtesy of Little League Baseball and Softball

A rare show of sportsmanship between two young athletes competing at the Little League Southwest Region championship in Waco, Texas, this week is captivating the country.

The moment occurred after Kaiden "Bubs" Shelton, the pitcher for Texas East, accidentally hit an Oklahoma batter in the head with a fastball. The pitch struck 12-year-old Isaiah Jarvis in the head, knocking off his helmet, and sending him to the ground.

Seeing his opponent in pain, Shelton hung his head and began to cry. But that's when Jarvis did something incredible. He walked up to the pitcher's mound and wrapped his arms around Shelton.

Jarvis can be heard consoling the emotional pitcher in a now-viral video. "Hey, you're doing great," he tells Shelton.

"I wanted to go over there and spread God's love and make sure that he's OK, and make sure that he knows that I'm OK and that I'll be OK," Jarvis told CNN.

The gesture drew a standing ovation from the crowd.

"I thought he was really hurt, but when he started walking up to me… it looked like he was better, but I thought he was going to throw a punch or something like that," Shelton told Good Morning America.

Jarvis told CNN that he has a small bruise, but otherwise he feels fine.

Texas East (Pearland Little League) won the game, 9-4, advancing to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, later this month. Jarvis said he plans to root for Shelton and his team.

"They're the same region as us, and we've been really good friends, our teams," he told CNN. "So we're going to be rooting for them all the way."