The handler for an American eagle that was to fly to the pitcher's mound during the national anthem pats Seattle Mariners starting pitcher James Paxton, a Canadian, after the eagle chose to land on his... (Associated Press) 
 
 The handler for an American eagle that was to fly to the pitcher's mound during the national anthem pats Seattle Mariners starting pitcher James Paxton, a Canadian, after the eagle chose to land on his shoulder instead, Thursday, April 5, 2018, before the Mariners' baseball game against the Minnesota... (Associated Press) 
 
 MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The pageantry and patriotism accompanying the buildup to the Minnesota Twins' home opener forced a pause for James Paxton in his warmup routine, leaving the Seattle starting pitcher standing alone in left field while a giant flag was unfurled nearby. 
 
 The bald eagle brought in for a ceremonial flight over the field was the final piece of the pregame pomp, prior to the playing of the national anthem. 
 
 Well, the big bird didn't want to visit the mound, perhaps wary of Major League Baseball's new rule limiting such trips to keep the pace of play. Instead, it picked out another target at Target Field. 
 
 And Paxton wound up as the landing spot, sticking its talons into his back. 
 
 "I guess the eagle knew I was Canadian. I don't know. But it came for me," the left-hander said on Thursday evening after the Twins rallied past the Mariners 4-2 . 
 
 Even on a 38-degree afternoon against a big-swinging lineup, the toughest task for Paxton might have been keeping his composure during that startling moment before the game when the pastime of bird watching took on a whole new meaning. 
 
 "Figured I'm not going to outrun an eagle," Paxton said. "So might as well see what happens." 
 
 Rather than soaring to the mound to reach his summoning handlers, the bird took a path straight toward Paxton, causing him to jerk his upper 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 . One of the trainers hustled out to lure the bird safely away and make sure Paxton was all right. 
 
 "I kind of ducked it so it wouldn't fly into my face. It was, I think, trying to stand on my back," Paxton said. "And then I thought, 'OK, if I can stand up slowly, maybe it'll just rest on my shoulder. But as I stood up, he kind of fell off my back a little bit and was kind of clawing to try to get back up on my shoulder. But then as I stood straight up, it fell back onto the ground." 
 
 So he simply resumed warming up. 
 
 "The talons, I don't think, punctured me. They were kind of sharp on my back. I don't have any scratches, I don't believe," Paxton said. "That's not the first time I've seen a bald eagle, but it was the first time I've had one try to land on me." 
 
 Talk about poise under pressure. 
 
 "I was just standing there, trying not to panic," he said. 
 
 Both teams had a good time reliving the moment. Mariners manager Scott Servais said he thought fellow starting pitcher Felix Hernandez would have run away. Twins center fielder Byron Buxton had no trouble admitting that would have been his reaction, too. 
 
 "When I saw him like perk up on Paxton's arm, I'm gone," Buxton said. "He wouldn't have a chance to get on my shoulder." 
 
 Twins catcher Mitch Garver said the large-talon landing was "terrifying." Twins closer Fernando Rodney joked about using one of the imaginary arrows he shoots into the air after converting a save to try to bring down the bird. 
 
 "When I saw that, I said, 'Wow,'" Rodney said. "That's baseball. A lot of things happen." 
 
 Minnesota fans, meanwhile, could probably appreciate an eagle-free sporting event at this point. The Vikings lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC championship game this winter, of course, before the Eagles came to Minneapolis two weeks later to win their first Super Bowl. 
 
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 For more AP baseball coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball 

 A very patriotic moment before the Mariners-Twins game was interrupted on Thursday when a bald eagle, which was supposed to be part of the pregame ceremony, took off and landed on Mariners pitcher James Paxton. 
 
 We don't think that's how they drew it up in rehearsals…😂😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/aW8IGaNCVy — FOX Sports North (@fsnorth) April 5, 2018 
 
 Paxton handled the incident rather well and better than most of us would have. Also as noted by many on social media, Paxton is Canadian — fans even created “The Maple Grove” for him — so everyone made a similar joke about the eagle granting him American citizenship and about Paxton being too polite about the incident. 
 
 James Paxton is American now. Sorry, Canada, that's the rules. You can have him back if a moose sits on him. https://t.co/O74kicVkhp — (16) Jesse Specolorado (@jessespector) April 5, 2018 
 
 Canadian James Paxton was unfazed, later apologizing to the eagle and offering a doughnut.https://t.co/PKD3oy3n18 — Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 5, 2018 
 
 According to the Seattle Times, the bald eagle was supposed to land on its handler’s shoulder.
– The patriotic pregame show ahead of the Minnesota Twins' home opener went awry when a bald eagle failed to cooperate. The bird, there for a ceremonial flight during the national anthem, landed on Seattle Mariners starting pitcher James Paxton instead of its handler, the AP reports. Paxton—a Canadian—was warming up in left field when the bird, which had been supposed to fly over the pitcher's mound, landed on him. Paxton took the surprise coolly, barely moving as the eagle was on his back, then continuing his warmup after it fell to the ground. "Figured I'm not going to outrun an eagle," he says. "So might as well see what happens." Fans joked about the eagle having granted Paxton US citizenship, USA Today reports. "James Paxton is American now. Sorry, Canada, that's the rules," tweeted Jesse Specolorado. "You can have him back if a moose sits on him." The Twins went on to win 4-2.