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Right through the wickets

For the second night in a row, a Twins game was interrupted by a mischievous squirrel running around the field—this time, with a twist. 

The rodent first appeared during the first inning of Monday night’s game against the White Sox at Target Field, sending players scattering in the dugout when it came near. 

The intruder was back last night, darting in from rightfield and making a bee-line for home plate. On its way, it ran right through the legs of Minnesota’s Max Kepler, who was taking his lead off first base. It ran around a bit—even into the stands—before slipping through a hole in the outfield fence. 

Twins team photographer Brace Hemmelgarn even captured an incredible photo of the moment the pest squeezed through Kepler’s feet. 

“I heard the crowd get loud for some reason and then the squirrel popped into my head because I saw him earlier, crawling on the wall in right before the game started,” Kepler told Fox Sports North after the game. “But I couldn’t take my eyes off the pitcher. Next thing I know, he’s coming through my legs. I think this is his home now. He’ll be back tomorrow if he’s not sleeping.”

The squirrel proved to be good luck for the Twins. The game was tied 3–3 when it made its appearance, but then Minnesota blew it open with a four-run two-out rally and went on to win 14–4. 

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Email dan.gartland@simail.com with any feedback or follow me on Twitter for approximately one half-decent baseball joke per week. Bookmark this page to see previous editions of Hot Clicks and find the newest edition every day. By popular request I’ve made a Spotify playlist of the music featured here. Visit our Extra Mustard page throughout each day for more offbeat sports stories.