Paxton, a Canadian with the nickname Big Maple, played it cool as talons clung to his shoulder – even standing up straight with the bird at one point before it flew away.
The patriotic scene in Minneapolis sparked awe across Twitter before the Minnesota Twins game.
Eagle at Twins opener attempts to abduct Mariners pitcher James Paxton pic.twitter.com/pzswZ7HPZu
— CJ Fogler (@cjzero) April 5, 2018
Lookout, James Paxton!
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) April 5, 2018
via @fsnorth pic.twitter.com/SqZ2drAdwf
The eagle’s name is Challenger. The raptor usually performs a pre-game fly-in ceremony, but it decided to go rogue when landing on Paxton.
CBS Sports note that Challenger is apparently an esteemed member of the American Eagle Foundation and has taken his talents to five World Series, plenty of other huge sporting events and even Disney's Animal Kingdom. So Thursday's slip-up was pretty out of the ordinary for him.
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