August 26, 2016
Baseball games have been delayed by sprinklers, swarms of bees and a circus tent.
Rain, a frequent culprit, has even delayed games played in domed stadiums.
Now, count a sheep among the strange causes of rain delays.
A sheep ran onto the field Thursday during a minor-league game in State College, prompting a short delay until the grounds crew could corral it.
The sheep entered the field when an outfield gate was slipped open during the sixth inning of a game between the Batavia Muckdogs and the State College Spikes.
One Spikes player, pitcher Steven Farinaro, found the spectacle amusing enough to photograph the farm animal as it roamed the outfield.
The announcers were bewildered, joking that such a sight can't be found in the major leagues. Yet, they weren't quite sure what animal they were observing.
"There's a goat on the field stopping the game — or sheep or whatever," one announcer said. "Is it a sheep, ram, goat -- what is it?"
His partner assured him it was a goat. But it actually was a sheep belonging to the Cowboy Monkey Rodeo, an in-game promotion that features a monkey riding on the back of a dog.
Once caught, the sheep seemed hesitant to leave the field, dragging its feet as the grounds crew pulled the animal off the field.
