Watch: Bald Eagle Goes After Canadian Pitcher as 'Star-Spangled Banner' Plays
It was a patriotic moment to tweet about. Or, should we say, aboot.
At Target Field in Minneapolis, the national anthem during the Minnesota Twins home opener was disrupted by a bald eagle, who proceeded to land on the starting pitcher for the visiting Seattle Mariners.
The Canadian starting pitcher for the visiting Seattle Mariners.
Yes, as James Paxton — known affectionately as the “Big Maple” — saluted the flag during “The Star-Spangled Banner” before Thursday’s game, the eagle first came to rest within a few feet of Paxton, and then came to rest on his shoulder.
As you can see, the crowd cheered the eagle as it made his descent into the outfield at Target Field and then landed on Paxton’s shoulder.
According to The Associated Press, Paxton’s pre-game warmup was stopped by the giant flag being unfurled in the outfield, so he decided to pause there in the balmy 38-degree Minnesota weather.
“The bald eagle brought in for a ceremonial flight over the field was the final piece of the pregame pomp, prior to the playing of the national anthem,” the AP reported. “Well, the big bird didn’t want to visit the mound, perhaps wary of Major League Baseball’s new rule limiting such trips to keep the pace of play. Instead, it picked out another target at Target Field.”
A very Trudeau-ean target, we might append.
“I guess the eagle knew I was Canadian. I don’t know. But it came for me,” Paxton said.
“Figured I’m not going to outrun an eagle,” he added. “So might as well see what happens.”
Well, nothing happened, although that’s one bird that’s not going to get any treats from its handlers (who were beckoning it at the mound). However, the Big Maple wasn’t hurt.
“I kind of ducked it so it wouldn’t fly into my face. It was, I think, trying to stand on my back,” Paxton said. “And then I thought, ‘OK, if I can stand up slowly, maybe it’ll just rest on my shoulder. But as I stood up, he kind of fell off my back a little bit and was kind of clawing to try to get back up on my shoulder. But then as I stood straight up, it fell back onto the ground.”
“The talons, I don’t think, punctured me. They were kind of sharp on my back. I don’t have any scratches, I don’t believe,” he said after the game.
“That’s not the first time I’ve seen a bald eagle, but it was the first time I’ve had one try to land on me.”
Paxton started strong but was chased from the game in the sixth inning after giving up a two-run homer to Miguel Sano. The Mariners southpaw ended up with a no-decision in a 4-2 loss to Twins.
At least he ended up with a viral video to show for it, eh?
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
