Paxton was standing alone in left field at Target Field, taking a break from his warmup throws for the pregame ceremony Thursday. That’s when a bald eagle brought in for a flight over the playing field prior to the national anthem apparently became confused.
Rather than soaring to the mound to reach his summoning handlers, the bird’s path went toward Paxton, causing him to jerk his body backward to avoid being grazed. Then the eagle, named Challenger, landed in the grass before circling back to find a perch on Paxton’s right shoulder. See it here