MLB Umpire Forced To Talk To Crowd After Squirrel Completely Takes Over Game In Detroit In Hilarious Video

A very athletic squirrel brought new energy to a Detroit Tigers baseball game when it made a surprise appearance on the field.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, the squirrel appeared on the central diamond at Comerica Park, with multiple players making attempts at catching it. Baltimore Orioles outfielder Leody Taveras even managed to catch it in his glove before it made an impressive leap into the air and ran across the field.

This prompted the grounds crew to step in, harnessing all of their speed and energy to try to catch the elusive squirrel. From trying to scoop it in their hands to throwing towels over it to capture it, nothing seemed to stop the squirrel from taking itself out to the ballgame.

Even Detroit Tigers announcer Jason Benetti got involved, offering a hilarious play-by-play narration of the grounds crew's attempts at capture.

"And the squirrel is free once again!"

"Hemmed in? 'No, I won't be hemmed in! I have freedom on my mind!'"

"Trying to go between the legs, and eventually he gets away again and hops through the towel."

"And another towel! And another towel!"

"The force field is activated! Towels can't stop him!"

"Or maybe they can."

As Benetti narrated the situation, the crowd became increasingly restless, complaining and booing as the grounds crew scampered across the field with the squirrel. Ironically, when the squirrel was finally caught in a towel, the crowd booed even more.

After the crew removed the squirrel from the game area, MLB umpire Bill Miller stepped up to the diamond:

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to thank the grounds crew."

"Let's give them a round of applause!"

The crowd erupted in even louder boos than before as the umpire walked off the field so the game could resume play.

You can watch the video here:

Viewers were tickled by the surprise appearance and high-speed chase.

Later in the game, the Detroit Tigers mascot Paws appeared on the sidelines with a sign that read, "Free the Squirrel!"

A spokesperson for the team later said:

"Our understanding is that the squirrel was in fine health after being removed from the field and released."

Whether the crowd was frustrated with how long it was taking to remove the squirrel or if they wanted it to stick around a little longer remains unclear. We think Orioles manager Craig Albernaz put it best when he said the whole situation was "nuts."