ST. LOUIS (AP) – The Cardinals have a friendly feline to thank for their rally against the Royals.
With the bases loaded and two outs in the sixth on Tuesday night, the game was delayed for a couple minutes when a small, feisty cat sprinted onto the field at Busch Stadium.
On the first pitch after play resumed, Yadier Molina hit a grand slam off Peter Moylan to give the Cardinals an 8-5 lead. The cat was instantly dubbed (hash)RallyCat on Twitter, and St. Louis went on to win.
The cat emerged from near the visitors’ dugout on the third-base side and blitzed into the outfield, the fur on its tail standing on end. Royals center fielder Lorenzo Cain stood, smiling, with a hand on his hip as the cat sprinted past him.
Lucas Hackmann, a member of the Cardinals’ grounds crew, ran out to grab the stray and flinched several times as the animal tried to bite or scratch him.