This fast kitten followed all the fancy hittin’.
In a game delayed for several minutes while a bunch of groundskeepers tried to corral a scaredy cat in the outfield, the Baltimore Orioles hit four solo homers off Yankees newcomer Andrew Heaney to beat New York 7-1 Monday night.
The Orioles held a six-run lead in the eighth when the tabby emerged from the third base side as Yankees star Aaron Judge batted against Paul Fry.
The cat sped past Baltimore left fielder Ryan McKenna, then got on the warning track and dashed back and forth. The feline climbed up on the low padding along the wall and tried to scale the bullpen fence, but kept falling back down.
Get Connecticut local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Connecticut newsletters.
“We saw him earlier in the dugout during the game and he was just chilling and we let him be," Orioles center fielder Cedric Mullins said. “Next thing I know, the fans were cheering and I had no idea.”
“I didn’t see the cat until he got the outfield wall and it was a matter of seeing how they handle it, watching seven grown men getting their ankles broken by a cat. Pretty funny to watch," he said.
U.S. & World
Fans chanted “MVP! MVP!” as the cat eluded its would-be captors, even after being surrounded by several of them near the 318-foot mark in left field.
Only after 3 1/2 minutes did the cat leave the field, darting into an open gate near the seating area along the third base line.
Photos: Cat Runs Onto Field At Yankee Stadium, Evades Crews and Gets ‘MVP' Chants
The cat was first noticed by Joey Gallo, who was standing in the on-deck circle and pointed it out to plate umpire Mark Ripperger.
“That thing was pretty elusive to catch there,” Gallo said.
Almost too much so, Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said.
“I was kind of wondering what everybody was waiting for, to be honest with you,” he said. “Our pitcher is sitting there on the mound there with Aaron Judge at the plate and we’re watching a cat run around but finally it got out there -– the cat showed some good quickness and agility and vertical a few times.”
“But I didn’t know if it was a poisonous cat or what it was because there wasn’t a whole lot of movement happening when it ran on the field," he said.
Once the cat exited, Judge flied out.
