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Cleveland Guardians outfielder Will Brennan became the second MLB player to hit a bird this season, and the first to do so with a batted ball. Brennan somehow struck the animal with a line-drive single in the second inning of a matchup against the White Sox.
That single is now going viral online, leading to a reaction from baseball fans on social media.
Cleveland and Chicago renewed their AL Central rivalry this week with a four-game set at Progressive Field. That series began Monday night, and it kicked off with an absolute bang.
Guardians’ right fielder Will Brennan stepped up to the dish in the bottom of the second inning as he looked to get his team on the board early. With no one out and a runner on first base, the lefty smacked a line drive the other way.
As the ball made its way towards left field, it struck a bird that happened to be sitting on the infield grass between the shortstop and third base positions.
Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
How many birds have to die before they ban the game of baseball? Enough is enough. pic.twitter.com/PqarMVDG5X
— Jared Carrabis (@Jared_Carrabis) May 22, 2023
At first glance, it’s hard to see the contact due to the fact that the bird was at field level rather than flying through the air. Another angle, however, shows viewers the moment of impact.
Guardians Will Brennan appears to have killed a bird sitting on the infield grass on a base hit, tough week for baseball and our winged friends pic.twitter.com/Oj8FA66T9i
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) May 22, 2023
Announcers couldn’t believe what they’d seen. Steve Stone said, “This one actually went by what looked like some sort of deceased animal at shortstop,” after seeing the single. The deceased would later be identified as our fowl.
Oddly, this comes less than a week after Arizona pitcher Zac Gallen hit a bird with a pitch during a pregame warmup.
The internet was quick to react to the latest bizarre incident.
Many remembered the most famous bird moment in baseball history with this fan commenting, “Will Brennan channeling Randy Johnson.”
Others pointed back to that more recent incident with one viewer writing, “First Gallen kills a bird ala Randy Johnson. Now Brennan plays Duck Hunt. Most deadly single he’ll probably have in his career.”
After time was called, the grounds crew came out to remove the bird from the field of play.
Will Brennan just hit a bird, grounds crew out with a shovel! #ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/jGqFNCOf2o
— Mike Picha (@themikepicha) May 22, 2023
The Guardians would wind up scoring later in the inning, so at least the bird’s life wasn’t taken in vain.