A small raccoon interrupted a spring training baseball game between the Atlanta Braves and Minnesota Twins on Friday night at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers, Florida. The animal navigated through the stands during the top of the second inning, prompting shrieks from spectators. Stadium staff eventually captured it safely near the Twins' dugout.
The incident occurred at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers, Fla., during the top of the second inning of the Braves-Twins spring training matchup. As the game unfolded on the field, a furry intruder—a small raccoon—made its way through the stands, weaving between legs, rows, and likely snacks. Fans reacted with a few shrieks and screams as the creature traversed from the third-base side to the first-base side.
Stadium staff sprang into action to capture the raccoon, but it evaded them initially, doubling back toward the Twins' dugout. A gloved employee finally corralled the animal there, safely placing it into a cage before it was taken away.
Twins manager Derek Shelton recounted noticing the commotion only after a fan alerted him. "A little girl was like, ‘There’s a raccoon,’” Shelton said. “I was like, 'It’s fine.’ She was like, ‘Aren’t you scared?’ I’m like, ‘Not unless it jumps over this fence.’ Then it came back and I was standing right there when the guy grabbed it.”
No injuries or further disruptions were reported from the unexpected visitor, which added a lighthearted moment to the evening's baseball action.