When I saw clips last night of a cat sprinting through the grass at Busch Stadium mid-game, and then of a poor crew member being bit by the little guy, my first response was: You've got to be kitten me.
No, no—sorry, that wasn't really my first response. My real response: That is too purr-fect.
OK, that's it for my awful cat puns. But this really did happen. During last night's game against the Kansas City Royals, the St. Louis Cardinals got a little dose of luck thanks to a feisty feline that rushed the field during the sixth inning. An unlucky crew member chased it through the outfield before capturing it, but the cat didn't go quietly.
But that fur-ball's joy ride through the field ultimately set up a win for the Cards. Right after the incident, Yadier Molina hit a grand slam into left field, and the Cards took the lead. Thus, #RallyCat was born.
Watch the full video of the moment below.
Of course, #RallyCat tweets and Instagrams began to light up social media. We've rounded up some of our favorites. But first, nothing is quite as funny as seeing that poor crew member sustain a gnarly cat nip in slo-mo.
Just look at it go!
Rally Cat: "This field is for sits, yes?"
The Cardinals, like yours truly, couldn't resist a cat pun.
Sure, the grand slam was cool. But everyone knew who the real hero was.
The Cardinals have identified him as Lucas Hackmann, a member of the team's grounds crew. Don't worry, though. He's fine.
His brother got him to the hospital.
Memes abounded.
Then Yadi did his thing, and everything was right in the world again.
Is #RallyCat a sign of things to come?
Who knows, but Aliya Fowler's into it.
And so is die-hard Cards fan Andy Cohen.
Sadly, it sounds like #RallyCat is out there on its own again.
We'll miss you, little buddy.
St. Louis won't forget you.
The Cardinals have released an official statement on #RallyCat. They say Hackmann let the cat down outside near the Stan Musial statue to attend to his bite injuries. A fan then grabbed the cat, claimed it was hers, then lost track of it.
"We are hopeful someone will find the cat and contact us so we can properly care for it," reads the team statement—which closes with another solid cat pun. "In the meantime, the Cardinals are looking to scratch and claw their way back to the top of the division standings."
Update: August 11, 12:51 p.m. St. Louis Feral Cat Outreach posted a tweet of a cat they captured in Citygarden over the night. Is that you, #RallyCat? It sounds like we'll have to wait a little longer for the answer.
A board member with the nonprofit told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that its standard is to let captured cats calm down before opening their cages again. It could take as long as 48 hours before the group can inspect the cat's markings and gender.
According to the Post, the nonprofit has already gotten a request from the Cardinals to adopt the cat.
