The Atlanta Braves claimed their fourth consecutive NL East title with a win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday at Truist Park. The chance to see Atlanta wrap up the division again motivated fans to pack the stands for a chance to witness history. Those fans, however, weren't solely humans.
Truist Park stadium workers found a gray-and-white tabby cat roaming the upper-deck rafters an hour before first pitch. The cat positioned itself along a beam unreachable by humans, forcing the six-plus workers to bring an array of tools -- ladders, nets, padded gloves -- to ensure its capture.
Sensing danger, the cat scurried from one side of the beam to another for minutes before a stadium worker corralled it with a net. Numerous fans who got to Truist Park early witnessed the events unfold, and when a stadium worker eventually carried the cat out of the stands one fan couldn't help but release a big "awww."
The Truist Park cat isn't the first to draw headlines in the sports world this year. In a Miami-Appalachian State football game at Hard Rock Stadium earlier this month, a cat found itself dangling from the upper deck by its paws. The Hard Rock Cat lost grip of one paw and eventually another before falling to the stands below, where a Hurricanes fan holding an American flag caught it to save its life.
Both cats have so far proved to be good-luck charms for their respective teams. The Hurricanes defeated the Mountaineers, 25-23, for their only FBS win of the season after the Hard Rock cat appeared, and the Braves topped the Phillies 5-3 to punch their ticket to the postseason. Atlanta will take on the Milwaukee Brewers in the best-of-five National League Division Series, starting next week.
