Rogue squirrel sends grounds crew scampering

A friendly squirrel wanted to get close to the action of the Cubs-Pirates game on Monday night, and it proved to be a tough nut to crack.

The bushy-tailed critter was scurrying around the outfield and caught the attention of the Pirates broadcast, which followed its journey throughout Michael Chavis' at-bat. Chavis ended up hitting a popup into foul ground that three Cubs outfielders converged on but could not corral. We'll just say it was not a can of acorn.

? A history of animals on the field ??

But after that play, the grounds crew came out with a bucket and a net and the chase was on. The squirrel scampered along the warning track with an impressive sprint speed, giving its pursuers the runaround. Pirates players were leaning out of the dugout trying to get a better look. After a few laps along the warning track, the grounds crew was finally able to lure the squirrel through a fence in the outfield.

Animals interrupting baseball games is a tail as old as time, and in 2018 the Cardinals even claimed to have a rally squirrel that was the reincarnation of one that had shown up in 2011. So it should come as no surprise that the Pirates put up three runs in the frame after this squirrel showed up.