On Thursday, the Phoenix Mercury defeated the Washington Mystics 75-69. There was a buzz surrounding the game literally.
In the midst of the game, a wasp came storming in, causing the players to react, per BRW Sports.
“A wasp made its way into the court during Mercury-Mystics, and started coming after players,” BRW Sports posted on Instagram. “There is a wasp that is terrorizing the players.”
The reaction amongst the players said it all. All this came as the game was in its final stages. Besides the wasp, the game put up some notable moments.
For instance, Alyssa Thomas joined alongside Caitlin Clark for the most assists in a single WNBA season with 330. The Mystics' Kiki Iriafen continues her historical onslaught as a WNBA Rookie.
For the Mercury, they are looking ahead towards the postseason with a 27-14 record. Meanwhile, the Mystics are 16-26 and will not be in the playoffs this time around.
All in all, there was some good action on the floor well before the wasp temporarily disrupted things. As it turns out, the WNBA isn't the first professional sports league to have one of its games bombarded by an invading pest.
The WNBA is not alone.
There have been numerous occasions in which an unsuspecting animal, insect, or creature captured the attention during a game. During the 1945 World Series, local Chicago pub owner William Sianis attempted to bring his pet Billy Goat into Wrigley Field, but was turned away.
Thus igniting the “Curse of the Billy Goat” that dogged the Chicago Cubs until they won the World Series in 2016.
In 1969, a black cat famously trotted onto the field of Shea Stadium during a Mets/Cubs game in front of the Cubs' dugout.
For years, Cubs fans attributed the cat to a continuation of the curse when the Cubs blew a massive lead over the Mets. In 1975, a bat came flying down from the arena during Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Boston Sabres.
Sabres player Jim Lorentz killed the bat with his stick. Afterward, Flyers player Rick MacLeish picked it up with his bare hands and dropped it into the penalty box.
