For the second time in the 2023 Major League Baseball season, a bird has been accidentally killed on the field, this time during a White Sox game.
In the second inning of their game against the Guardians at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Will Brennan’s hit accidentally struck a bird that was in the infield grass before going into left field.
It came off White Sox pitcher Jesse Scholtens and the game had to be stopped for a brief moment for crews to remove the bird from the field. According to MLB, the ball was traveling over 100 miles per hour off the bat of Brennan.
Cleveland would go on to win the game 3-0 in the first of three contests between the American League Central Division rivals.
After the game, Brennan tweeted about the incident saying “I truly am sorry @peta and bird enthusiasts. An unfortunate sacrifice.”
This marks the second time that a bird has been hit and killed by a ball in the MLB this month. On May 17, Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen hit one while warming up in the outfield at Oakland Coliseum ahead of a game with the Athletics.
He pitched for the team that had the most infamous ball vs. bird incident in MLB history, when then Arizona pitcher Randy Johnson struck one with a pitch on March 24, 2001. That happened during a spring training game against the Giants in Tuscon, Arizona.
The White Sox and Guardians continue their series in Cleveland on Tuesday at 5:10 p.m. central time.