Most “animal on the pitch” stories end when the creature in question is chased off the field of play – but in this tale that’s where the drama really starts.
Most “animal on the pitch” stories end when the creature in question is chased off the field of play – but in this tale that’s where the drama really starts.
The Detroit Tigers were hosting the Los Angeles Angels in a Major League Baseball game on Wednesday night when a goose descended on to the outfield during a rain break.
Stadium staff got to work shooing the bird away – but what happened next took everyone by surprise.
As the announcer said, “Oh, the poor goose.”
Thankfully it seems no permanent damage was done – a concerned citizen took the goose under her wing, and the Tigers eventually announced the bird was OK.
Concern from the fans was matched by that of the people involved.
Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire told ESPN after the game: “My wife would have had a heart attack if she saw that.
“We’re glad the goose is OK. That was not fun to watch when they were chasing him around and he went into the stands; that was scary.”
And it seems the Tigers took inspiration from the intruder – level at 1-1 at the time, they went on to win 6-1, earning the bird the nickname of the “rally goose”.
As for how the goose got there in the first place, it could all have been down to the Tigers’ American League rivals from north of the border.
