A black squirrel turned Comerica Park into the main attraction Monday night, and it did it during a Tigers-Orioles game.
Detroit was hosting Baltimore in a regular Major League Baseball matchup, but the action that had everyone locked in was happening on the field with the squirrel. It spent a while roaming around before things got even stranger when Baltimore third base coach Buck Britton fed it snacks.
Eventually, the grounds crew moved in to try to catch it. That proved to be a lot harder than it sounds.
As the scramble unfolded, Tigers broadcaster Jason Benetti leaned all the way into the moment with a call that matched the chaos. “The chase for the squirrel is on," Benetti began.
"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 he gets away again!
And hops through the towel! And hops through another towel."
The crowd noise told the rest of the story as the squirrel slipped away, then was finally captured. MLB later shared video of the scene, while the broadcast captured both Benetti’s call and the reaction from the stands.
Home plate umpire Bill Miller also took a moment to get on the microphone and thank the grounds crew for catching the squirrel.
In a 162-game season, little interruptions like this can break up the routine. On Monday night in Detroit, the squirrel was the one making sure nobody forgot the game.
In Other News...
Tigers Fans Wont Like The Latest Tarik Skubal Trade Idea
Tarik Skubal keeps coming up in trade chatter because he is the kind of arm that would instantly change the conversation for a contender, and ESPNs Kiley McDaniel added another layer to that speculation with a hypothetical deal involving the Rays. The idea underscores just how valuable the Tigers left-hander has become, even with the club still sorting through its own direction and looking at every move through the lens of where the season is headed.
What makes this latest proposal sting for Detroit fans is not just that Skubal is being floated at all, but that the return would come from Tampa Bays prospect depth, a reminder of how aggressively teams will chase impact pitching when they think the price is right. Nothing is official and no negotiations have been reported, but the fact that Skubal keeps surfacing in these conversations says plenty about the market around him and the questions the Tigers may eventually have to answer. [Read more 🡒]
Former Tigers Spark Plug Suddenly Feels Vulnerable In Detroit
The Tigers 2024 roster already looks a little different a year later, with Jason Foley now pitching for the Giants, Andy Ibez in the Mets Triple-A system and Justyn-Henry Malloy with the Rays Triple-A club. Even among the holdovers, the picture has changed quickly, and Matt Vierling is the clearest reminder of how fast a useful piece can slide from secure to uncertain in Detroit.
Vierling once filled a valuable role with his defense, versatility and steady presence around the clubhouse, but his grip on a roster spot no longer feels as firm as it did. A late-game swing-and-miss in Saturdays loss to the Royals only added to the sense that the Tigers may soon have to weigh whether his all-around value is enough to keep him in the mix if the roster starts to get squeezed. [Read more 🡒]