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See the full story · 1 sourcesA member of the Comerica Park ground crew captures a squirrel during the game on July 27. Credit: Duane Burleson/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
A black squirrel disrupted a Detroit Tigers and Baltimore Orioles game by darting across the field and evading capture multiple times
Orioles outfielder Leody Taveras briefly caught the squirrel in his glove before it was safely removed by the grounds crew
Fans and players found the incident entertaining, with Orioles manager Craig Albernaz even saying, “The whole squirrel thing was nuts”
A squirrel caused quite the stir at a recent baseball game.
Fans who attended the Detroit Tigers game against the Baltimore Orioles at Comerica Park on Monday, July 27 got a show after a black squirrel got loose on the baseball field, according to a video shared by Major League Baseball (MLB).
In the clip, several grounds crew members could be seen attempting to capture the squirrel several times to no avail. In one shot, the ground crew and some baseball players managed to corner it, before it got free again.
The Detroit Tigers grounds crew attempted to capture the squirrel with towels, which they threw over the animal; however, the quick squirrel darted and hopped away.
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An announcer could be heard making light of the situation, saying: “The chase for the squirrel is on. The squirrel is still eluding an entire horde of grounds crew members. He gets away again and hops through a towel and hops through another towel.”
According to the MLB , the squirrel caught the attention of fans near the end of the sixth inning after scampering into the short left field, before heading to the foul lines. He even went near Baltimore third-base coach Buck Britton, who threw some seeds over to him, the MLB said.
During the seventh inning stretch, grounds crew members finally were called onto the field to attempt to capture the black squirrel during the seventh inning, which ran into the right-field corner and briefly jumped into the glove of Orioles outfielder Leody Taveras.
A closeup of the squirrel during the Detroit Tigers versus the Baltimore Orioles game. Credit: Steven King/Icon Sportswire via Getty
“I just was trying to stop it. When it got into my glove, I [didn’t] want to squeeze it, so I was just trying to bring it up. I wasn’t trying to do that. But they got it out,” Taveras recalled to MLB. “I hope it’s good.”
A grounds crew member eventually captured the slippery creature by wrapping it in a towel as it ran by the warning track and safely escorting it off the field.
The whole event prompted Tigers play-by-play announcer Jason Benetti to joke about the game, “We’re six innings deep, it’s 8-5, this game has been a zoo.” The Tigers mascot Paws was even caught in the stands at one point during the game holding up a makeshift sign that read, “Free the squirrel.”
The Orioles eventually won the game 8-5 against the Tigers, but the most memorable part for both the players and the fans appeared to be the squirrel, as that was mentioned several times postgame.
The Detroit Tigers grounds crew chase after the squirrel during the game. Credit: Steven King/Icon Sportswire via Getty
“The whole squirrel thing was nuts,” said Orioles manager Craig Albernaz while walking out of the visiting clubhouse for his postgame media session, per MLB. “I mean, at one point, I thought he was going to go into the batter’s box, see what was going on. He had a great view of the game.”
“I think Bill Miller, the home-plate umpire, really stole the show with getting everyone out there, and then I had no idea Leody tried to glove-flip it or catch it in right field. I didn’t see that video until after the game. Nice job, Leody,” he added.
Outfielder Colton Cowser also noted at the clubhouse following the game that he “thought” the whole situation “was crazy.”
“[The squirrel] was fast, got his exercise in today. I’d love to know his step count for the day. It was funny,” he continued. “I think everyone got a good laugh out of it, and the fans were even booing getting him off the field. I mean, I wanted him, personally, to stay on the field. It makes the game more interesting.”
Read the original article on People
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