It’s not often a spring training game goes down as one of most memorable games in MLB history, but 21 years ago, Randy Johnson gave one of the most infamous moments when his pitch didn’t make it to home plate Instead, it hit a bird.
A Hall of Famer who won 303 games in 22 seasons, Johnson was pitching for the Arizona Diamondbacks on March 24, 2001, in a spring training game against the San Francisco Giants in Tucson, Arizona.
The left-handed Johnson was set to throw a pitch in the 7th inning when a bird flew in. The ball hit the bird as it flew in front of home plate.
Here’s why this moment became so iconic:
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Randy Johnson was known for throwing a fastball that could reach over 100 mph.
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It’s not every day you see a dove explode in front of home plate, and this was all caught on camera.
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YouTube videos of “Randy Johnson hits bird” have wracked up millions of views over the years, with one alone exceeding 5.8 million views.
Twenty-one years later, the pitch still lives in infamy, but not many know what happened after the incident. Here’s what we know about the pitch that didn’t count.
Did the bird die?
Unfortunately, yes.
Video shows feathers falling off the bird, which was likely a mourning dove, as it falls to the ground. Rod Barajas, the catcher at the time, said “all you see is an explosion.”
How fast was the pitch?
In order to determine the speed of a pitch, the ball needs to reach home plate. Since the bird was hit before the catcher got the ball, there was never a confirmed speed.
However, Cronkite News in Arizona estimated the fastball was around 100 mph.
Was it a strike?
The pitch was neither a strike nor a ball.
There is no rule that states what happens if an animal happens to get in the way of a pitch, so the umpire crew decided to call it a no-pitch because it didn’t reach the plate, essentially meaning the pitch never statistically happened.
Who was the batter?
Not widely known, but the Giants batter was Calvin Murray. He played five seasons in the MLB. You may know his nephew: Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray.
What did they do with the bird?
After the players realized what had happened, Giants second baseman Jeff Kent went on the field and picked up the bird with his bare hands and pointed it toward Johnson while smiling. He took it back to the dugout, but it is unknown what happened afterward.
A grounds crew member then picked and cleaned up the feathers that were on the field.
What did Randy Johnson think of it?
Johnson wasn’t amused with Kent’s joke, telling ESPN, “I didn’t think it was all that funny.” When describing what happened in an interview with Fox Sports Arizona in 2016, Johnson said it was “a blur.”
“It’s just hard to really put that into perspective. It happened so quick,” he said.
It seems that Johnson has lightened up about the incident over time.
After retiring from baseball following the 2009 season, Johnson began his own photography business. His logo? A dead bird with feathers in the air.
Is this the first time a bird was killed during a baseball game?
There are more birds that have fallen victim to baseball. ESPN said former Yankee outfielder Dave Winfield killed a seagull on a warm up throw on Aug. 4, 1983 in Toronto. The incident was so serious, Ontario police arrested Winfield after the game and charged him with animal cruelty, but charges were later dropped.
It’s happened in the minors too. In 2014, Jonathan Maciel was pitching for the West Michigan Whitecaps in Class-A when he appeared to hit a black bird. A grounds crew member went out and picked up the bird’s body.
“I hope it’s OK” one broadcaster said.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Randy Johnson hit a bird 21 years ago. Here’s what to know about it.