The New York Yankees might be one of the MLB's most resurgent teams. After starting the season in a injury-ridden slump, the Bronx Bombers have gone 8-2 over their last ten games.
Things were no different on May 23, when the Yankees overcame a 4-0 defecit against the Baltimore Orioles. Aaron Judge knotted the game up with a his 14th home run of the year before Anthony Volpe won it all on a sac-fly in the 10th inning.
Apart from witnessing the spectacular performance from their team, Yankees fans got another type of thrill. A video has recently emerged of a squirrel running along the rail at Yankee Stadium during the game, along with the reactions of fans.
"Squirrel sighting in the Bronx (via @MLB)" - SportsCenter
It did not take long for several memes to begin flooding in under the original post. There was no shortage of creativity coming from MLB fans poking fun at the incident.
Unfortunately for the New York Yankees fans in attendance, their reaction was caught in slow-motion, making for a positively hilarious video sequence.
Fortunately for Yankees fans, critters are not as ubiquitous at their home field as they are in other MLB parks. The Oakland Athletics, for example, are known for having hundreds of stray cats and opossums living at their home field. New Yorkers, however, are likely used to seeing other kinds of rodents.
That is to say nothing of minor league baseball. One fan even shared a meme of a fan handling a racoon at an Arkansas Razorbacks college baseball game.
Others also made an allusion to New York Mets hitter Jeff McNeil. McNeil, who won the NL batting title last season, is nicknamed the "squirrel" for his slim stature and agility. It appears as though, at least last night, McNeil was not the only squirrel associated with New York baseball.
Animal encounters make the MLB even more entertaining
While there are some who say that episodes like the Yankees' squirrel invasion take away from the game, it is important to realize how funny they can be. Since baseball is a natural outdoor game, it only makes sense that nature should collide with MLB gameplay from time to time.
Next time it does, we are sure to see just as many hilarious memes and reactions as we did after this furball decided to give Yankees fans more than they bargained for, and a few laughs as well.