"Match" is a Chilean blue eagle who lives at Nasu Animal Kingdom in Tochigi Prefecture. He sometimes shows up at Kleenex Stadium Miyagi to appear at Rakuten Eagles home games where he goes to entertain the fans with a pregame flight that is supposed to take him from the center-field back screen to home plate.
He doesn't always stay on course, however.
Prior to the May 31 interleague game between Rakuten and the Hiroshima Carp, Match was released in front of the scoreboard in center but, most likely spooked by a steady falling rain and a noisy crowd of more than 14,000 spectators, he apparently failed to see his handler waving the bait or hear her blowing a whistle behind the plate.