Squirrel interrupts Yankee Stadium game as Boston rolls to 10-0 win

A stray squirrel briefly halted play at Yankee Stadium during the Red Sox-Yankees game on Friday night, darting across the field in the fourth inning and drawing a mix of laughter and exasperation from players and fans alike. The animal approached the mound near Max Fried’s landing spot and even explored a small hole in the dirt, delaying the action as Boston rookie Jhostynxon Garcia—making his MLB debut—went through his at-bat. The interruption came during a tense moment in a game the Red Sox eventually controlled, sealing a 10-0 victory that helped them climb in the American League Wild Card standings.

The sequence unfolded after Garcia, a 22-year-old outfielder in his second plate appearance, paused at the plate as the squirrel moved along the third-base foul line and toward the mound. The crowd reacted with a mix of amusement and disbelief as the animal inspected Fried’s dirt and then scurried toward the infield before finding its way off the diamond and into the nearby wall area. Fried remained composed, following the moment with a routine pitch to the backstop after the delay. The episode ended without further incident, but it lingered in the memory of those in attendance.