Baseball has, in recent years, been exploring different ways to keep the pace of the game moving briskly. This has included some changes to the rules to up the tempo of things. That said, there are some things even the most far-sighted rulemakers cannot foresee, and one of them is the disruptive quality of fast-moving reptiles.
That’s what players and fans alike at a Bradenton Marauders/St. Lucie Mets game discovered this week. Turns out a turtle showed up in the outfield, necessitating a brief delay in the second inning to remove the shockingly quick creature from the field of play. Writing at The Athletic, Mark Puleo accurately described the turtle’s speed as “breakneck.”
Eventually, Maurauders pitcher Magdiel Cotto picked up the turtle and brought it back to the stadium’s bullpen. As The Athletic reports, the turtle stayed there for a few innings before being taken to a nearby pond.
For commentator Thomas Zinzarella, this kind of thing is becoming par for the course. “Last year when I was with the Hudson Valley Renegades, my broadcast partner Joe Vasile and I had a wild goose on the field that went viral on social media,” he told The Athletic.
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It’s a dramatic shift for the sportTurtles can surprise people when it comes to their speed. And this particular moment in Bradenton sporting history is an epecially memorable one. Though for viral “animals and sports” moments, it’s hard to go wrong with the recurring phenomenon of dogs chasing soccer balls.
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