10 Memorable Pitch Interferences in MLB History

By Audrey Clark

10. Randy Johnson kills a bird

Number ten is the iconic 2001 match where Randy Johnson threw a fastball directly into a passing bird. The bird died, but the game continued, marking it as one of the wildest moments in MLB history.

9. Randy Johnson kills a second bird

They say lightning never strikes twice in the same place, but apparently, nobody told Randy Johnson. On the very next pitch, another bird swooped in and was taken out by a curveball. What are the chances?

8. Houston Astros’ weirdly brazen sign-stealing

The Astros had been under suspicion of sign-stealing for a while but blew their cover during a 2018 match against the Baltimore Orioles. Just as Orioles’ pitcher Dylan Bundy was just about to throw, Astros General Manager Jeff Luhnow walked over to the mound and asked him what type of pitch he was planning. A bemused Bundy said, “Uh, I’m not supposed to tell you that,” causing Luhnow to turn bright red and stomp his feet like an angry prospector.

7. Randy Johnson takes out a vet

In that same 2001 game, the stadium sent out a veterinarian to take a look at the two birds Johnson had previously killed. The Hall of Fame southpaw became impatient with the game delay, throwing another pitch that caught the vet right behind the ear – killing him instantly.

6. Randy Johnson’s third bird kill

As the vet’s body was being dragged off the field, Randy tossed out a knuckleball that connected directly with a swooping pigeon, which exploded in a shower of feathers and blood that covered fans in the front rows.

5. Roger Clemens gives a streaker a shocking surprise

In a 1991 Sox-Tigers game, Roger Clemens was lining up a pitch when a streaker rushed onto the field. Never one to back down from a challenge, “Rocket” threw out a pitch that went up the streaker's butt, out his mouth, and right into the catcher’s mitt, earning the Sox their game-winning strike and a place in MLB history.

4. Randy Johnson obliterates five birds with a single ball

Searching for redemption after slaughtering three birds and a human being, Johnson put his all into the next pitch. Unfortunately, his signature fastball went way off target, soaring up to the top of the stands and taking out a small family of birds crowded around a packet of chips.

3. Babe Ruth hit by a meteorite

In a 1916 game against the Arizona Kettlebells, then-pitcher Babe Ruth was struck by a meteorite. Some say the meteorite was filled with a strange mineral that gave the Bambino his mythical hitting power.

2. Flock of birds gangs up and carries Randy Johnson out of the field

Randy Johnson was still reeling from murdering an entire bird family, but before he could throw out another pitch, a massive flock of pigeons, doves, and even a single bald eagle descended on the pitcher’s mound, grabbed Randy by his uniform, and carried him out of the stadium, never to be seen again.

1. Hotdog comes to life

In a 2015 game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Miami Marlins, nobody was expecting interference from the most unlikely of sources. A rogue hotdog from the hotdog cart sprung to life like the Seth Rogen movie Sausage Party, ran onto the field, and jumped into the path of a Yusei Kikuchi change-up, disappearing in a splatter of ketchup and mustard and leaving the world with more questions than answers.