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Brewers prospect Bubba Derby saved two women during Vegas massacre

By Joshua Sadlock

LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 3: A view of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, October 3, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Late Sunday night, a lone gunman killed over 50 people and injured over 500 people after he opened fire on a large crowd at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival. The massacre is one of the deadliest mass shooting events in U.S. history. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 3: A view of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, October 3, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Late Sunday night, a lone gunman killed over 50 people and injured over 500 people after he opened fire on a large crowd at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival. The massacre is one of the deadliest mass shooting events in U.S. history. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) /
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Milwaukee Brewers pitching prospect helped shield two women as they ran for their lives in Las Vegas on Sunday night.

A little more than a week ago, Milwaukee Brewers minor leaguer Bubba Derby had tweeted excitedly about his upcoming trip to Las Vegas for the weekend’s Route 91 music festival. Derby was pumped to see Luke Combs perform. Little did he know he would come to play a heroic role as the largest mass shooting in American history unfolded.

Derby and his family ran for their lives as the bullets rained down from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. He was up front for Jason Aldean with his sister, aunt, cousin and other family members when the shots began. The terrifying situation was made worse for Derby and his family because they had split up to watch the concert from different vantage points. Luckily, his six-year-old nephew had left early to watch a different concert with his parents, sparing him from seeing the tragedy and bloodshed.

The Brewers prospect spoke with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on a conference call on Monday afternoon, and was still having a hard time processing what had happened.

"“It was difficult at the time because we were all spread out when everything went down. I had an angel looking out for me and my family.”When the shooting stopped for a few moments, Derby said he and his family decided to “run for our lives.” But he said there was the secondary danger of being trampled as everyone else tried to do the same thing.“We waited a few seconds and it felt like an eternity,” he said. “Finally, we got up and just started running. Then we started hearing the gun go off again. It was very loud. It sounded like a bunch of firecrackers going off in a row."

Derby downplayed his own heroics in the heat of the moment. As he was running for cover, Derby helped to shield two terrified young women. Even with his own life in danger, the 23-year-old was willing to use his own body as a human shield. As the violence ended, he stayed with the women to help keep them calm and safe and even provided a place to sleep for the night.

Both women posted very emotional messages on Facebook about Derby’s heroics.

TMZ Sports was able to catch up with Derby for a video interview, and it is worth a watch.

The word “hero” gets tossed around often when describing professional athletes. We idolize them for their exploits on the field of play. Bubba Derby is an athlete who has transcended the typical definition of an athlete hero. While the tragedy and sting of what happened in Las Vegas on Sunday will never not be difficult to process and comprehend, all Americans should be proud of how hundreds of citizens were willing to risk their lives in the face of unspeakable danger to help protect their brothers and sisters.

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Our thoughts and prayers continue to go out to those affected by the tragic loss of life in Las Vegas on Sunday. Donations can be made to a GoFundMe started by Clark County Commission Chair Steve Sisolak that has already raised over $4 million.

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