Minor League Baseball game invaded by turtle as Mets and Pirates affiliates stop play

The Single-A game between the St. Lucie Mets and the Bradenton Marauders was momentarily paused after a turtle entered the outfield before being rescued by quick-thinking stars. The creature entered the centerfield grass at LECOM Park as proceedings came to a halt, to the surprise of those present.

Highly-tipped prospect Paul Skenes made his MLB debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates on the same day but his maiden appearance was nearly upstaged by the bizarre moment which played out in in Bradenton. The reptile first entered play at the top of the second inning, immediately catching the attention of the players.

From there, Bradenton's Sergio Campana and Esmerlyn Valdez were helped out by Marauders rival Magdiel Cotto after they appeared to freeze at the sight of the turtle. Unpurturbed by the animal, Cotto then proceeded to take it back to the bullpen before play resumed.

"We have some kind of creature on the field," analyst Thomas Zinzarella said, as he gave minute-by-minute updates on a unique spectacle, as he appeared to be perplexed by what was unfolding, continuing: "A squirrel or a rodent, I don’t know. What do we have there? It’s a turtle."

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Afterwards, the Marauders broadcaster recalled the rare incident during an amusing interview with The Athletic, as he remembered: "As Cotto also told me, I’d say it’s a first and a bucket list item. It’s also not the first time I’ve had a run in with animals on the broadcast.

"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. I’ve always loved Kevin Harlan’s TV and radio calls of animals on the field, so I tried to have some fun with it! A memorable night for sure!"

Reacting to the incident, the official Minor League Baseball account joked on Twitter/X: "Care to comment on your whereabouts @daytonatortugas?", while a fan also recalled: "A few years ago, I saw a @stocktonports game delayed when a stray dog decided to run around the field for 10 minutes. That seems totally normal compared to a turtle."

To add to a curious day in the baseball world, this was not the only invasion of its kind on the day either - with a pelican also making itself at home in San Francisco during the game between the Giants and the Cincinnati Reds. On that occasion, the bird did not halt proceedings as it walked around the shallow outfield.

Instead, it was right in the line of vision as Heliot Ramos pulled off a mesmerizing catch just yards away from the pelican, leading to rapturous cheers from the crowd. The moment also drew comments from fans on social media, as one person said: Come for the baseball, stay for the Pelican vibin’."

Another commented: "The bird is the word! This delay was brought to you by The Pelican," while a Oracle Park Seagull parody account also made a similarly amusing quip about the incident, adding: "A pelican?! Really? Get you’re big bill outta my ballpark!"