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On the field, the home team topped the floundering San Diego Padres 5-3 to inch closer to a .500 record, but it was what happened in the stands in the middle of the game when a visiting firefighter saved a choking man’s life in a moment that has since gone viral.
Todd Covington, a firefighter who was visiting Nationals Park from Kansas City, is being hailed as a hero after leaping into action in the middle of the game to come to the aid of another fan who found himself in a perilous position.
The heroic rescue was first reported by 106.7 The Fan’s Grant Paulsen, who was at the game and was sitting nearby in Section 113 when Covington made the big save in the fourth inning.
Covington reportedly was able to dislodge whatever was stuck in the man’s throat before giving him the Heimlich and possibly saving his life.
The veteran firefighter is no stranger to media attention, having also served as a hero during the Missouri Amtrak train derailment last year.
He was in DC both to visit the ballpark with family but to receive the Ready Communities National Service Award.
The cheers for the on-field product were loud, but the jubilation after the heroic safe was deafening, according to fans at the stadium.
Fans were quick to praise Covington and his actions as news of the firefighter's save went viral on social media.
Closer Kyle Finnegan got credited for the save on the field against the end of the game against the Padres, but it was Covington who made the real save up in the stands to send the fans home happy.
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