Rogue squirrel causes chaos during MLB game
A squirrel sent an MLB grounds crew and an outfielder into a frenzy during the Baltimore Orioles-Detroit Tigers game on Monday night after it ran loose around the field. (This video contains AI-assisted content)
Christopher Nolan’s "The Odyssey" isn’t the only long journey people are talking about, as a squirrel caused chaos at Comerica Park on Monday night.
During the bottom of the sixth inning of the Baltimore Orioles’ 8-5 win over the Detroit Tigers, a black squirrel got loose in the outfield.
The squirrel raced up and down the warning track, and play continued for a full inning while the critter made its way around the ballpark. At one point, the squirrel wasn’t too far away from a dove that was sitting on the warning track, also taking in the game.
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The Detroit Tigers grounds crew tries to capture a black squirrel running on the field during a game against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday, July 24, 2026, at Comerica Park in Detroit, Mich. (Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
While the black squirrel's journey across the field may not have been as arduous as Odysseus', it was certainly entertaining.
During the top of the seventh inning, it made its way through the infield, but the game continued. The real fireworks began during the seventh-inning stretch as the grounds crew emerged to remove the squirrel.
The squirrel was making its way toward the right-field corner, and a security guard opened up the outfield gate, but the squirrel did not go through. About 15 members of the Tigers’ grounds crew, along with Orioles outfielder Leody Taveras, then tried to pick the squirrel up, but it proved elusive.
At one point, the squirrel’s shiftiness juked out one of the grounds crew so badly that it brought him to his knees.
The squirrel was chased into Taveras’ glove, but as he tried to snatch up the animal, the squirrel vaulted out of his glove and went flying before regaining his balance and continuing to flummox the grounds crew with its dexterity.
A squirrel runs on the field during the seventh inning of the game between the Detroit Tigers and the Baltimore Orioles at Comerica Park in Detroit, Mich., on July 27, 2026. (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
"I just was trying to stop it. When it got into my glove, I don’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 said, via MLB.com. "I hope it’s good."
After escaping Taveras’ glove, it seemed as if the squirrel was finally trapped in the right-field corner, but it was able to dodge the towels the grounds crew threw at it and keep moving.
At one point, one member of the grounds crew was able to grab the squirrel for a moment, but it once again broke free. The squirrel dodged two attempts from the grounds crew to smother it with a towel before finally being caught under a third towel.
The grounds crew member then picked up the squirrel, which was under a towel, and was booed off the field by a vociferous Tigers’ crowd.
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Comerica Park grounds crew attempt to capture a squirrel during the seventh inning of a baseball game between the Detroit Tigers and the Baltimore Orioles on Monday, July 27, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)
Play-by-play announcer Jason Benetti added some thrilling commentary as the scene unfolded.
"The chase for the squirrel is on, and the squirrel is in the corner and the squirrel is still eluding an entire horde of grounds crew members! And the squirrel is free once again, hemmed in? No! I won’t be hemmed in, I have freedom on my mind! Trying to go between the legs and eventually gets away again! And hops through the towel! And hops through another towel! The forcefield is activated, towels can’t stop him, or maybe they can," Benetti said as the squirrel was finally caught.
After the squirrel was caught, home plate umpire Bill Miller gave a shoutout to the grounds crew for their efforts.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to thank the grounds crew. Let's give them a round of applause. The Detroit Tigers grounds crew, thank you," Miller said, via MLB.com.
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A squirrel runs on the field during the seventh inning of the game between the Detroit Tigers and the Baltimore Orioles at Comerica Park in Detroit, Mich., on July 27, 2026. (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
Orioles manager Craig Albernaz aptly described the whole situation as "nuts."
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"The whole squirrel thing was nuts," Albernaz said, via MLB.com. "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."
The Orioles (52-55) will hope there aren’t any other squirrels running around Comerica Park when they take on the Tigers (50-57) in the middle game of a three-game series Tuesday at 6:40 p.m. ET.
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