The most dramatic moment in the Detroit Tigers’ season so far might have come Wednesday night at Comerica Park, when a goose that had wandered onto the field struggled to escape the Tigers’ groundskeepers, then wound up colliding with a scoreboard along the first-base line.
For a minute there, the so-called Rally Goose seemed to be in bad shape. He was carried away by a fan who turned out to be a veterinarian and taken to a veterinary hospital. But it appears all has ended up all right, as the Tigers’ broadcast Friday night shared video of the goose being let go back into its natural environment. Here’s the heart-warming footage:
If you’re new to the Rally Goose story, let’s get you caught up. The saga began Friday night when the Tigers’ grounds crew attempted to chase the goose off the field during a rain delay. Our feathery friend flapped his wings persistently but struggled to take flight. When he finally got airborne, to the delight of the Comerica Park crowd, he flew right into a bright blue scoreboard.
Luckily, Dr. Catherine Roach was on hand. Roach was attending the game as a fan but snapped into veterinary mode when the goose went down.
Here’s video of the chase, the flight, the crash and the rescue:
As it turned out, the Tigers scored five runs following the rain delay Wednesday, then won two of their next two games with a replica goose in their dugout and a “Rally Goose” mantra. Roach, meanwhile, got to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before Thursday’s game. Now that the goose is healthy and back in the wild, we can safely say this story had a happy ending for everyone.
