Rally Squirrel Explained

Rally Squirrel
Othername:Busch Stadium Squirrel
Species:Sciurus carolinensis
Years Active:2011–2012, 2015, 2018, 2023

Rally Squirrel is the name given to an eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) which appeared on the field and ran across home plate at Busch Stadium during a 2011 National League Division Series (NLDS) Major League Baseball game between the Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals on October 5, 2011. The squirrel captured American media attention,[1] and was adopted as an unofficial mascot by the Cardinals and the populace of St. Louis.[2] The Cardinals would go on to win the 2011 World Series in dramatic fashion.[2]

Appearances

On October 4, a gray squirrel appeared in the outfield during Game 3 of the Phillies–Cardinals National League Division Series,[3] causing an interruption in play.[4]

During the fifth inning of Game 4 on October 5, a squirrel again appeared on the field.[5] Play was not interrupted, but the squirrel caused considerable confusion,[6] running across home plate as Phillies pitcher Roy Oswalt was delivering a pitch to Skip Schumaker. The squirrel then jumped into the stands.[7] Umpire Ángel Hernández called the pitch a ball; Oswalt and Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel argued, unsuccessfully, that Oswalt had been distracted by the squirrel[8] and that "no pitch" should be called.[9] Manuel later avowed that, if he had a firearm, he would have shot the obstreperous rodent.[10] [11] [12] Some commentators speculated that the October 4 and October 5 squirrels were the same animal, but this was not proven.[3] [13]

Before Game 5 of the NLDS in Philadelphia, Oswalt was again accosted by a squirrel near the warning track at Citizens Bank Park.[14] Philadelphia fans taunted the Cardinals by throwing a stuffed squirrel into the team's bullpen. Cardinals pitcher Octavio Dotel retrieved it, and kept it in his locker. The Cardinals defeated the Phillies in five games, and Dotel said he would keep the squirrel through the World Series. "They didn't know that it's our good luck; they gave us good luck to our bullpen and that's why the bullpen has been so great lately", commented Dotel about the Philadelphia fans.[15] [16]

On October 16 in Milwaukee, Dotel and teammates toasted the stuffed squirrel and sprayed it with champagne and beer while celebrating their NLCS victory over the Milwaukee Brewers, which sent them to the World Series against the Texas Rangers.

Return

On June 19, 2015, the Cardinals were once again playing the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. During the fifth inning, a squirrel started climbing up the net behind home plate, ran along the guide wire, jumped on top of the Phillies dugout, and then appeared to jump at Chase Utley, the Phillies second baseman.[17] Soon after, the appearance of the squirrel was called the return of the Rally Squirrel. The Cardinals won this game 12-4.[18]

Public reaction

A Twitter account purporting to be that of the Rally Squirrel was activated on October 4, 2011;[3] [5] by October 6 it had 11,000 followers[19] and 27,000 by late October.[20] By October 5, the squirrel had his own theme song,[21] and by October 6 Rally Squirrel T-shirts were in production.[22] Within a few days, these were reported as "flying off the shelves" with "thousands" being sold,[23] while Rally Squirrel costumes were reported as becoming "one of the hot Halloween costumes" of the season.[24]

On October 11, 2011, a different Rally Squirrel appeared at a press conference in Kiener Plaza, where Cardinal Glennon Children's Foundation announced that it had adopted the Rally Squirrel as its mascot for a fundraising drive.[25] [26] On the same date, the Cardinals announced that the Rally Squirrel would be participating in an October 12 team rally[27] and that 40,000 rally towels with a squirrel motif would be distributed at that day's game of the 2011 National League Championship Series (which was Game 3, a 4-3 Cardinals victory). The Rally Squirrel, in the form of a performer wearing a squirrel costume with a Cardinals jersey, indeed joined the existing Cardinals costumed mascot Fredbird at pre-game rally events during the remainder of the postseason; this Rally Squirrel also assisted Fredbird and Team Fredbird in passing out T-shirts in the stands at Busch Stadium between innings.

By October 14, 2011, sales of Rally Squirrel T-shirts had generated approximately $210,000 for the Cardinal Glennon Children's Foundation.[28]

The Rally Squirrel gained notoriety again in late January 2012 when it was announced that it would be immortalized with a Topps baseball card. The special-edition card is actually that of Cardinals player Skip Schumaker but instead of the traditional "face shot" the card features only Schumaker's pant leg in the photo background as the Rally Squirrel is seen dashing across the batters box.[29] The Rally Squirrel was also immortalized on the St. Louis World Series rings.[30] St. Louis singer/songwriter, Randy Mayfield wrote the song, "Rally Squirrel" that was featured on Fox News and on Fox Sports during game 6 of the 2011 World Series.

Disposition

A squirrel believed to be the Rally Squirrel was captured at Busch Stadium on October 8 and turned over to the Wildlife Rescue Center for eventual release in Castlewood State Park.[31] [32] As of October 11, four squirrels had been captured at Busch Stadium.[33] The squirrel believed to be the actual Rally Squirrel was eventually released near the Wildlife Rescue Center's facility in Ballwin, Missouri.[34]

Decline to obscurity

By the 2013 season, when the Cardinals again advanced to the World Series (although they lost to the Boston Red Sox), Rally Squirrel had faded into obscurity, with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporting that at the time of the World Series "you'd be hard-pressed to find any remnants of the squirrel today at the Cardinals store at Busch Stadium, aside from a pile or two of generic stuffed squirrels near the counter".[35]

Other baseball squirrels

A squirrel which held up play several times at Progressive Field in Cleveland on August 25, 2004 was also called Rally Squirrel.[36] [37] [38] Other squirrels have appeared on baseball playing fields from time to time, occasionally interrupting play or gaining minor press notice.[39] [40] [41]

On September 4, 2007, a squirrel darted onto the field at Busch Stadium. That squirrel, which was captured and released into the wild, was also nicknamed Rally Squirrel.

On May 13, 2017, also at Progressive Field in Cleveland, a squirrel raced in from right field and reached the area around the pitcher's mound, forcing the umpires to halt play. The home team lost 4-1 to the Minnesota Twins.[42] "Those type of things are funnier when you're ahead" Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona said.[43] This squirrel was also referred to as Rally Squirrel.[44] [45] [46]

In August 2019, a squirrel interrupted play at Target Field on two consecutive nights. On the second night, the interruption was followed by the Twins scoring four runs in a game they went on to win 14-4, which led to this squirrel also being dubbed "Rally Squirrel".[47]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: TAKE TWO: 'Rally squirrel,' bah. Try interloping rodent. . Joe Walljasper . October 9, 2011 . . October 9, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120404023145/http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2011/oct/09/take-2-10-9/ . April 4, 2012 . dead . mdy-all .
  2. News: Cardinals fans go nuts for the Rally Squirrel . Steve Gardner . October 19, 2011. USA Today . October 22, 2011.
  3. Web site: The Rally Squirrel returns for Game 4 . Erica Smith . October 5, 2011 . St. Louis Post-Dispatch . October 6, 2011.
  4. Web site: This squirrel is nuts for postseason baseball . October 4, 2011 . The Wall . Major League Baseball . October 6, 2011.
  5. News: Busch Stadium squirrel steals spotlight at NLDS . October 5, 2011 . Chicago Tribune . October 6, 2011.
  6. Web site: Squirrel driving Phillies, Cardinals nuts . Ed Barkowitz . October 5, 2011 . Philadelphia Enquirerer . October 6, 2011.
  7. Web site: This Isn't The First Squirrel to Run on The Field . Aaron Goldstein . October 6, 2011 . American Spectator (blog) . October 7, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20111007225838/http://spectator.org/blog/2011/10/06/this-isnt-the-first-squirrel-t . October 7, 2011 .
  8. Web site: Squirrel steals spotlight at NLDS . October 5, 2011 . ESPN . October 6, 2011.
  9. News: Cardinals Freese up Phillies . October 5, 2011 . Toronto Sun . October 6, 2011.
  10. Web site: Charlie Manuel Says He Would Have Shot Busch Stadium Squirrel If He Had His Gun . Mike Cole . October 5, 2011 . NESN . October 6, 2011.
  11. Web site: Cardinals rally to force Game 5 versus Phillies . October 6, 2011 . Detroit Free Press . October 6, 2011.
  12. News: 'Rally squirrel' invades field in St. Louis, becomes a celebrity . October 6, 2011 . Seattle Post-Intelligencer . October 6, 2011.
  13. Web site: St Louis Cards rally squirrel is still on the loose . Anna McDonald . October 7, 2011 . ESPN . October 7, 2011.
  14. News: Squirrelly predicament: Ballpark critter makes way to Philadelphia for Game 5 . October 7, 2011 . Washington Post . October 9, 2011 .
  15. News: Nelson . Amy K. . St. Louis saved by its bullpen . October 17, 2011 . ESPN.com . https://web.archive.org/web/20111020190907/http://espn.go.com/dallas/story/_/id/7116392/st-louis-cardinals-bullpen-carry-load-texas-rangers . live . October 20, 2011.
  16. News: Kepner . Tyler . A Gritty Bullpen of Fierce Creatures . October 18, 2011 . The New York Times . B14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160202182940/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/18/sports/baseball/for-st-louis-cardinals-nutty-way-to-win-dont-forget-squirrel.html?_r=2&ref=sports . February 2, 2016 . dead .
  17. Web site: 'Rally Squirrel' Tries to Take Out Chase Utley at Phillies Game . Vince Lattanzio . June 19, 2015 . NBC 10 Philadelphia . June 20, 2015.
  18. Web site: 'Rally Squirrel' Returns During Cards-Phillies Game . Christian Bryant . June 19, 2015 . ABC RTV6 . June 20, 2015.
  19. News: Who Needs a Black Cat? Rally Squirrel Toys With the Phillies . Jeré Longman . October 6, 2011 . New York Times . October 7, 2011.
  20. Web site: Marketing professor talks 'Rally Squirrel' craze . Jennifer Hatton . October 21, 2011 . UMSL Daily . University of Missouri at St. Louis . October 22, 2011.
  21. Web site: The Busch Rally Squirrel! . October 5, 2011 . CBS St. Louis . October 7, 2011.
  22. Web site: The Rally Squirrel T-Shirt Industry And Other Businesses Rooting For Cardinals . George Sells . October 6, 2011 . Fox2Now (KTVI TV) . October 7, 2011.
  23. Web site: Going Nuts Over Rally Squirrel Might Work . James Baer . October 10, 2011 . Chesterfield Patch . October 11, 2011.
  24. Web site: Costume retailer runs out of Rally Squirrel costumes . Kay Quinn . October 10, 2011 . KSDK . October 11, 2011.
  25. Web site: UPDATED: "Rally Squirrel" Hats, Shirts, Cards on Sale; Money Goes to Charity . October 10, 2011 . CBS St. Louis . October 11, 2011.
  26. Web site: Rally Squirrel raising money for charity . October 10, 2011 . KMOV . October 11, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20111012164810/http://www.kmov.com/news/local/Rally-Squirrel-raising-money-for-charity--131445878.html . October 12, 2011 .
  27. Web site: "Rally Squirrel" to attend Cardinals pep rally . October 11, 2011 . KSDK . October 11, 2011 . January 27, 2013 . https://archive.today/20130127074256/http://www.ksdk.com/dontmiss/280851/193/Rally-Squirrel-to-attend-Cardinals-pep-rally . dead .
  28. News: Rally Squirrel generating serious money for Cardinal Gennon. October 14, 2011. October 14, 2011.
  29. Web site: Skip Schumaker baseball card features rally squirrel. Yahoo Sports "Big League Stew". 2012-01-30. 2012-01-30.
  30. News: Rally squirrel appears on Cards' championship rings. April 14, 2012. April 14, 2012.
  31. Web site: The squirrel believed to be Rally Squirrel leaves Busch Stadium . https://archive.today/20130127193059/http://www.ksdk.com/news/article/280485/3/The-squirrel-believed-to-be-Rally-Squirrel-leaves-Busch-Stadium- . dead . January 27, 2013 . Kathleen Berger . October 8, 2011 . KSDK . October 9, 2011.
  32. News: Doyle . Ricky . Rally Squirrel Picked Up by Wildlife Rescue Center, Removed From Busch Stadium . October 10, 2011 . NESN.com . https://web.archive.org/web/20111011084212/http://www.nesn.com/2011/10/squirrel-believed-to-be-busch-stadium-rally-squirrel-picked-up-by-wildlife-rescue-center.html . live . October 11, 2011.
  33. News: La Russa, Cardinals going nuts for Rally Squirrel fervor at Busch Stadium . October 11, 2011 . Washington Post . October 12, 2011 .
  34. News: The Rally Squirrel Runs to Safety . Jason Gay . October 21, 2011 . Wall Street Journal . October 22, 2011.
  35. Web site: Rally Squirrel may have left the field, but trademark dispute lives on . Kavita Kumar . October 25, 2013 . St. Louis Post-Dispatch . March 21, 2017.
  36. Web site: Small-ball helps Cleveland end 9-game skid . https://web.archive.org/web/20040903135627/http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=240825105 . dead . September 3, 2004 . August 25, 2004 . ESPN . October 7, 2011.
  37. Web site: Indians welcome 'Rally Squirrel' . Justice B. Hill . August 25, 2004 . MLB . October 6, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130402034658/http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20040825&content_id=838421&vkey=news_cle&fext=.jsp&c_id=cle . April 2, 2013 .
  38. News: "Rally Squirrel" helps Indians win. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. August 26, 2004.
  39. Web site: Swisher, Ramirez homer to power White Sox to win . https://web.archive.org/web/20080917105759/http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=280903105 . dead . September 17, 2008 . September 3, 2008 . ESPN . October 7, 2011.
  40. Web site: Agile Squirrel Invades Cleveland Indians Bullpen . September 7, 2011 . Outside the Boxscore . October 7, 2011.
  41. News: Squirrel in outfield seems to be good omen for Yankees . Ethan Rouen and Bill Hutchinson . September 6, 2007 . New York Daily News . October 12, 2011.
  42. Web site: Minnesota Twins vs. Cleveland Indians - Box Score - May 13, 2017. www.foxsports.com. en-US. 2017-05-14.
  43. News: Berrios fine 1st start, Twins outlast Indians, squirrel 4-1. Writer. STEVE HERRICK, Associated Press Sports. The Repository. 2017-05-14. en.
  44. Web site: One fearless squirrel managed to force a delay in the Indians vs. Twins game . Alysha Tsuji . May 13, 2017 . USA Today . May 15, 2017.
  45. Web site: Rally Squirrel appears at Progressive Field in the 6th inning; Video Included . Payton Vince . May 13, 2017 . Neo Sports Insiders . May 15, 2017.
  46. Web site: Squirrel on the field causes delay of Indians game . Kevin Berger . May 13, 2017 . Fox Sports . May 15, 2017.
  47. Web site: For second night, squirrel steals the show at Target Field . August 21, 2019 . [Minneapolis] Star-Tribune . August 21, 2019.

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