In an unexpected turn of events during Game 2 of the National League Championship Series (NLCS), a snake briefly stole the spotlight in the Dodgers' dugout. On October 15, as the Dodgers faced the New York Mets, pitcher Brent Honeywell Jr. spotted the snake slithering near the steps of the first-base dugout after finishing his fifth-inning work.
Surprisingly, Honeywell remained unfazed by the sighting. In a post-game interview with MLB.com, he casually remarked, "I’ve seen all kinds of creatures in the dugout before. This was just a snake." Honeywell hoped the encounter might bring the Dodgers some good luck, adding, "I was expecting it to be our rally snake. Right after I saw it, we put a few runs on the board." Indeed, the Dodgers scored their first run in the fifth inning and added two more in the sixth. However, they couldn’t overcome the early deficit, ultimately losing 7-3 to the Mets.
Could this snake be a lucky omen for the Dodgers this postseason? In baseball history, surprise animal appearances have often been seen as signs of good fortune for teams.
In 2022, the San Diego Padres found their own unexpected good-luck charm: a goose. During Game 2 of their Division Series against the Dodgers, a goose suddenly wandered onto the field in the bottom of the eighth inning, causing a brief game stoppage as stadium staff tried to catch it. Following the goose's appearance, the Padres managed to escape a critical jam in the eighth and went on to win the game 5-3. Padres star Manny Machado even joked after the game, "Looks like the goose might be our lucky charm." The next day, the team placed a toy goose on the dugout bench, hoping for continued luck. Riding the wave of momentum, the Padres went on to win the series 3-1 and advance to the Championship Series.
Another memorable animal moment came in 2011 when the St. Louis Cardinals found their luck in a squirrel. In Game 4 of their Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, a squirrel darted across the field during the Cardinals' fourth-inning at-bat, causing a brief delay. Phillies pitcher Roy Oswalt, who had been cruising until that point, suddenly began to struggle, and St. Louis capitalized by scoring runs and eventually winning the game. The Cardinals defied the odds in each round that year and went on to win the World Series, with the "rally squirrel" becoming a beloved symbol for the team.
While the snake didn’t deliver an immediate turnaround for the Dodgers, Honeywell and his teammates can only hope that this unusual visitor will bring some of that same magic to their postseason run.
