Baseball fields where kids play will have defibrillators under bill passed by City Council

Baseball fields where kids play will have to have defibrillators under a bill passed by the City Council Wednesday.

The devices, also known as AEDs — which can restart someone’s heart when it stops — would have to be present at every game and practice for youth leagues played on city-owned land.

Young players can go into cardiac arrest if they are hit in the chest by a pitch when playing baseball.

The city will foot the bill for providing the devices to leagues.

“It is simple: Sudden cardiac arrest is the number one cause of death in this country, and among the leading cause of death in young athletes,” said Councilman Steven Matteo (R-Staten Island), who noted he coaches his 12-year-old son’s baseball team “Having that AED with me and other coaches will save lives.”