On Wednesday, Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen has become only the second pitcher in Major League Baseball history to kill a bird in mid-flight with a pitch.
Gallen was warming up ahead of Wednesday’s game against the Oakland As in California when his curveball throw collided with a bird that happened to be flying by.
Video of the incident is not exactly clear, but it can be seen that instead of zooming into the catcher’s mitt, the ball can be seen suddenly veering to the ground and bouncing to a stop a few feet in front of the catcher.
WATCH:
“In the spirit of Randy Johnson, I think you know where we’re going with this.”
Zac Gallen hit a bird with a pitch 😲pic.twitter.com/RwBKuerUCh
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) May 17, 2023
Diamondbacks broadcasters said that Gallen “couldn’t wait” to tell everyone that he hit a bird during warmups. “I’m an animal lover, so this hurts me. But, in the spirit of Randy Johnson, I think you know where we’re going with this. The bird is no longer with us. I know Zac Gallen took some time to recognize that, but he hit it with a curveball, mid-air-mid-flight, and our cameras caught it.”
This is not the first time an MLB pitcher has killed a bird in mid-flight. In 2001, another Diamondbacks pitcher, left-hander Randy Johnson, took out a bird during a game against the San Francisco Giants.
Johnson later reported that not everyone was amused by the incident. Apparently, animal rights extremist group PETA threatened to file charges against Johnson for killing the bird.
“I was considered a bird killer,” Jonson said, “and they were actually considering filing charges on the bird’s behalf.”
The Diamondbacks ended up winning Wednesday’s game 5-3. No word if PETA is planning to charge Gallen with murder.
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