During the American national anthem, a bald eagle decided to land on major league Mariners pitcher James Paxton’s shoulder. Is there any sentence more steeped in stars and stripes than that?
James Paxton was minding his own business during the American national anthem when suddenly a bald eagle decided he looks like a great perch.
The iconically American bird was there watching the game with their handler when they decided to pay the player a visit.
Why the eagle did it is still a mystery. Maybe Paxton is the ‘chosen one’ of American baseball? Maybe the eagle was a clever ploy by the opposing Minnesota Twins to intimidate Paxton (who’s actually a Canadian)? Maybe the eagle’s a fangirl, and wanted the photo op with Paxton for her Instagram? Whatever the case, Paxton handled the surprise landing like the champ he is.
THIS! pic.twitter.com/2FJCQzPTUv
— Jen Mueller (@JenTalksSports) April 5, 2018
For more animals on the field, check out this soccer loving corgi.