We’re not sure who we feel more sorry for: the cat at Yankee Stadium who’s desperately trying to evade capture or the half a dozen-odd grounds crew who are attempting to round the poor little moggy up.
In a ‘you’ve got to see it to believe it moment’ on Monday night, the New York Yankees’ game against the Boston Orioles was halted for several minutes as staff ran around the field after a rogue tabby cat who had somehow found his way into the stadium.
While you’ve got to feel for the little guy who was clearly scared out of his fur by the thousands of cheering fans chanting ‘MVP’ and ‘let’s go cat’ there’s something comical about watching a bunch of grown adults scurrying around a field trying to capture one tiny kitty.
The cat-astrophy led to the game being halted for several minutes as the lightning-fast feline sprinted along at a pace that could easily have given a flying baseball a run for its money.
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Both commentators and fans had a blast cracking jokes while the game was on hold and even the players had something to say about the feline-induced frenzy once the game was over.
“We saw [the cat] in the dugout earlier in the game, just chilling there, so we let him be. Next thing I know, I heard all the fans cheering. I didn’t know what was going on," said Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins. "I didn’t see the cat until he was out at the outfield wall. Then it was seeing seven grown men get their ankles broken by a cat. It was pretty funny to watch.”
Thankfully, all ended well with the cat finally managing to escape through an open gate where he hopefully found his way home after his big ordeal. And after watching the on-field antics, the Oriole’s managed Brandon Hyde admitted he could use a fast mover like that on his team.
"The cat showed good quickness, agility and vertical, a few times," Hyde said. Hmmm, could the mystery tabby soon find himself being made an honorary team member? Only time will tell, but either way, the fearless feline certainly wins our award for Monday night’s M(eow)st Valuable Player.
