Raccoon Camps Out in Atlanta Braves' Bullpen in Viral Spring Training Moment

Atlanta Braves staff members tried to catch a raccoon that was sitting on a beam above the team's bullpen during their spring training game against the Detroit Tigers.
North Port, FL, USA; Fans walk around the outside of CoolToday Park during spring training.
North Port, FL, USA; Fans walk around the outside of CoolToday Park during spring training. | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

Starting pitcher Grant Holmes was making quick work of the Detroit Tigers to open Tuesday's spring training game, but there was still action in the Atlanta Braves' bullpen as early as the second inning.

There wasn't a reliever warming up, though.

A raccoon was camped out on a beam above Atlanta's bullpen at CoolToday Park, drawing out security and pest control to try to remove it from the stadium. A uniformed member of the Braves was even assisting in the process, holding out a catch pole while someone else tried to lure it into a net.

The whole ordeal warranted updates from the broadcast team throughout the bottom of the second, but the raccoon was ultimately caught off-camera between innings.

Holmes wound up tossing 5.0 scoreless innings Tuesday, giving up just one hit and three walks compared to his five strikeouts. It was up to Dylan Covey to relieve Holmes, and he allowed one run in the sixth and two more in the seventh.

The Braves went on to lose 3-1, dropping back to 7-7 in Grapefruit League play.

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a staff writer covering baseball for “Fastball on SI.’’ He previously covered UCLA Athletics for On SI’s All Bruins site, and is a UCLA graduate, with his work there as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for On SI’s New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk. Sam lives in Boston.

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