Fans at Dodger Stadium witnessed a goose fly onto the field and slide stomach-first Wednesday, an incident that briefly drew attention during the Padres-Dodgers game, according to the report.
The episode was far from unique. The account noted several past moments in which animals interrupted sporting events, from large venues to local contests. One notable episode during the 2026 Winter Olympics in Tesero, Italy, saw a Czechoslovakian wolfdog named Nazgul bolt onto the cross-country ski course in Lago di Tesero during a preliminary qualifying race. The dog was quickly corralled and returned to its owner, and one competitor described the confusion. “I was like, ‘Am I hallucinating?'” said Tena Hadzic, a 21-year-old Croatian skier, according to the report.
Baseball has had its share of intrusions. In April 2026 in Chicago, a goose patrolled the field in the bottom of the third inning during the Cubs’ game against the Phillies; play continued and Cubs first baseman Michael Busch collected a hit as the baseball flew over the bird and it then took flight, the report said. Squirrels have repeatedly disrupted games: a 2025 Yankees-Red Sox game in New York saw a squirrel appear behind home plate and then run along the field, and earlier that year a squirrel in Detroit worked its way into the Tigers’ bullpen during the first inning of the Giants-Tigers matchup.
Other incidents cited in the account included a bunny at L. Dale Mitchell Park in Norman, Oklahoma, during a 2025 college baseball game, a snake crossing the course during the second round of the 2025 PGA Championship in Charlotte, and a 2024 insect interruption during the US Open quarterfinal between Frances Tiafoe and Grigor Dimitrov, when an official pointed out a black insect and ballboys spent about 30 seconds trying to contain it. The report also referenced a 2024 raccoon sighting at Subaru Park during a Philadelphia Union-New York City FC match and a 2024 Ole Miss-Oklahoma game in Oxford where a squirrel ran to the end zone.
From stadiums to ski tracks, the report illustrates how animals can briefly become part of the sporting spectacle, producing moments that range from minor confusion to lighthearted diversion.
