A goose flew onto the field in the eighth inning of the Dodgers-Padres game Wednesday night — perhaps fitting as the Dodgers laid goose eggs after the third inning.
The Dodgers struggled to generate offense in a 5-3 loss to the San Diego Padres in Game 2 of the National League Division Series. The series is tied 1-1, with Game 3 in San Diego on Friday.
Fans, however, went wild for the bird, both at the stadium and online, with chants of “duck, duck, duck!†breaking out in the stands, and “Rally Goose†and “Rally Duck†trending on Twitter Wednesday night.
The goose landed in short centerfield in the bottom of the eighth, and when stadium staff attempted to approach it, the bird again took flight, landing behind home plate. As staff again moved toward the bird, the goose flew into the infield near third base, where crews were finally able to capture the bird, covering it with a towel and removing from the field in a trash can.
According to the Los Angeles Audubon Society, the goose that graced the Dodgers’ field was a Greater White-Fronted Goose, which can easily get disoriented from bright lights as it migrates at night. The specie spends winters in more-mild California, after nesting in the Arctic tundra in the summer.
Here’s a look at some of the game’s more interesting moments, as captured by Los Angeles Times veteran photographers Gina Ferazzi, Wally Skalij and Robert Gauthier.
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