Baby cat Chipper appeared as a special first-pitch guest at a Gwinnett Stripers home game in Georgia, USA.
Instead of throwing a ball, Chipper walked to home plate following a treat and stood before the spectators.
The story of how a stray cat became the team’s mascot added meaning to the day’s event.
3-Line Summary
1. Chipper is the team’s mascot and was formerly a stray cat
2. Chipper made a special first pitch at the home game on the 15th
3. The first pitch involved walking while following a treat
Special First Pitch Held at the Georgia Home Stadium
The Gwinnett Stripers are a Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball in the United States. According to Yonhap News TV, the team invited Chipper to a pet-supplies donation event held at its home stadium in Georgia on September 15 local time.
The first pitch that day did not involve throwing a ball from the mound. It proceeded with Chipper slowly walking to home plate while following a treat. The in-stadium announcer added witty commentary in time with Chipper’s movements, creating an unusual pregame scene for the spectators.
KBS News reported that the game took place on a day designated for cats attending baseball with their owners and that a donation event for abandoned animals was held. The team made Chipper the special first-pitch guest to match the nature of the event.
Rescued from the Street, Chipper Became the Team’s Cat
Chipper is a stray cat rescued by a team employee from a road on the way to work last summer. The team later formally adopted the cat, which also received its name through a fan vote.
The name was taken from Chipper Jones, a legendary player for the Atlanta Braves. According to KBS News, the name “Chipper Jones” was chosen by combining the player’s name with the sound cats make when they are feeling good.
Yonhap News TV reported that Chipper received its name through an online naming event after being adopted by the team at the end of last month, and that the cat had established itself among fans as a new mascot. In other words, the rescued cat became a presence that took part in the team’s daily life and events.
The Scene Left by the ‘Cat First Pitch’
Yonhap News TV reported that events bringing dogs to baseball stadiums have commonly been held in Major League Baseball and the minor leagues, but events putting a cat front and center are relatively unusual. The Gwinnett Stripers turned Chipper’s movement while following a treat itself into the event, rather than focusing on a scene of throwing a ball.
The focus of this first pitch was neither a record nor the outcome of the game. It was that Chipper, once a stray cat, stood before fans as a symbol of the donation event after becoming an official member of the team’s family. The brief steps of one cat remained as a scene connecting the baseball stadium with an animal-protection event.
References
- KBS News, The World’s Cutest First-Pitch Guest…Baby Cat Captivates U.S. Baseball Fans
- Yonhap News TV, Baby Cat’s ‘Unusual First Pitch’…“A Victory Fairy That Eats Treats Too”
Tags #Cat #BabyCat #Chipper #GwinnettStripers #BaseballFirstPitch #UnusualFirstPitch #StrayCat #CatMascot #MinorLeague #TripleA #AtlantaBraves #PetDonation #Georgia