On the same day Pittsburgh Pirates star prospect Paul Skenes made his MLB debut, the franchise’s next big attraction wandered into the outfield for Single-A Bradenton: A turtle.
In the top of the second inning, play between the St. Lucie Mets and the Bradenton Marauders was temporarily interrupted by a curious reptile scrambling across the centerfield grass at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Fla.
So much for baseball’s pace of play concerns. The sport’s changes have gotten even the turtles moving at a breakneck speed.
“Is that a squirrel? Or a rodent? … It’s a turtle!”
A curious creature makes a mad dash across the outfield grass during @stluciemets/@The_Marauders action 🐢 pic.twitter.com/rlH3UJCaje
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) May 11, 2024
As Bradenton players Sergio Campana and Esmerlyn Valdez stared in bewilderment at the testudine in the outfield, Marauders reliever Magdiel Cotto saved the day. Cotto scooped up the reptile and jogged with it back into the bullpen.
Including Skenes, — who struck out seven in his Saturday debut and, like the turtle, wowed the Pittsburgh fanbase with his speed — the Pirates entered 2024 with four prospects in The Athletic’s Keith Law’s top 100 ranking. Two of the organization’s top-20 prospects, Omar Alfonzo and Michael Kennedy, are currently playing for Bradenton.
Neither are expected to lose their spots in the rankings to their new turtle teammate.
Nearly 3,000 miles away, another animal wandered into a baseball field outfield, this time in San Francisco. There, play between the Giants and Cincinnati Reds didn’t even stop as a pesky pelican roamed around the shallow outfield.
As play continued, Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos made an impressive diving catch just feet from the bird. It’s not clear if the San Francisco ovation was for the play or the pelican.
A pesky pelican has been added as a fourth outfielder today
(Assisting on this incredible Heliot Ramos catch) pic.twitter.com/v9gMbo8BFx
— KNBR (@KNBR) May 12, 2024
This story will be updated.
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(Photo: Josh TiJong / MLB Photos via Getty Images)
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Courtesy : https://theathletic.com/5486837/2024/05/11/turtle-outfield-baseball-bradenton/