Watch: Bald Eagle Lands on James Paxton's Shoulder Ahead of Minnesota Twins' Home Debut
Pageantry and patriotism are a key component of the pre-match routine across the four major U.S. leagues. The ceremony, however, went a step further ahead of the Minnesota Twins’ first home game of the season when an eagle landed on Seattle Mariners’ James Paxton.
Having taken a break from his warm-up throws, the left-hander was standing alone in left field at Target Field on Thursday night when a bald eagle brought it for the pre-game ceremony made for him.
The bird, named Challenger, was supposed to fly over the field before the national anthem but instead of reaching its handlers, it flew towards the unsuspecting Paxton.
After landing next to him, the eagle then circled back and perched itself on the 29-year-old’s right shoulder, before one of the trainers rushed to secure it.
Wisely, Paxton opted to stand still as the bizarre incident unfolded, only jerking his body to avoid being grazed by Challenger.
"I'm not gonna outrun an eagle, so just thought, we'll see what happens," Paxton said after the game, as reported by ESPN.
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"It was coming right for me and I was like, 'All right, the guy is over there. And I'm not the eagle guy.' But I guess this eagle was just confused, apparently the first time ever. I was just standing there trying not to panic."
The Canadian pitcher joked the eagle might have aimed for him after realizing his nationality and explained remaining composed wasn’t as easy as he made it look.
"I guess the eagle knew I was Canadian," Paxton told ESPN. "I don't know. But it came for me."
"I kind of ducked it so it wouldn't fly into my face. It was, I think, trying to stand on my back.
“And then I thought, `OK, if I can stand up slowly, maybe it'll just rest on my shoulder. But as I stood up, he kind of fell off my back a little bit and was kind of clawing to try to get back up on my shoulder.”
In his home country, Paxton features in a commercial that sees him taking care of eggs in his hat but admitted it was the first time he had had such a close encounter with an eagle.
"The talons, I don't think, punctured me,” the Associated Press reported him as saying.
“They were kind of sharp on my back. I don't have any scratches, I don't believe. That's not the first time I've seen a bald eagle, but it was the first time I've had one try to land on me."