The Texas Rangers begin their quest for the World Series today, and in honor of their great year, we’ve assembled the best-of-the best baseball squad made up of Dallas Zoo residents. (Maybe after they win the Series, we’ll challenge them to a friendly.)
Meet your squad:
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Starting Pitchers: Chimpanzees
Old, young, strong, agile, smart. Our chimpanzees have the skills to excel on the mound, honed by hurling coconuts into the rocks to crack them open. |
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Catcher: African white-backed vulture
With a wingspan exceeding six feet, these birds won’t let any ball by. |
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First Base: Elephants
At first base, a long reach is a great asset. Our African elephants would use their trunks to snag every ball thrown their way, no matter how erratic its path. |
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Second Base: Tebogo
Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor sometimes leaps to snag a liner, but that won’t be an issue with our reticulated giraffe Tebogo manning second base. He’s 16 feet tall. |
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Shortstop: Butter
What our famed reticulated python lacks in height, she makes up in length. Butter is 19 feet long, which is useful for catching ground balls while keeping a tail on second (or even third) base. |
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Third Base: Goat
Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre is often called a GOAT (greatest of all time) because of his on-field antics. The only antics our goat show off is munching the infield grass until it’s bare. |
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Outfielders: Winspear, Amani & the vulturine guineafowl
Baseball outfielders have to cover a lot of ground in a hurry, so the stars of our cheetah encounter make the perfect squad to roam the outfield. Cheetah Winspear; his black lab buddy, Amani; and the flock of zippy guineafowl will use speed to chase down deep-hit baseballs. |
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Designated hitter: Obi
Our high-energy mandrill can swing and throw a stick better than anyone else at the Dallas Zoo, making him a perfect designated hitter to drive in baserunners. |
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Relief Pitchers: Cat row
Our cougars, bobcat and ocelots spend much of their day snoozing, but when they’re called upon (like at dinnertime), these cats can get up and loose in a hurry – just like relief pitchers. |
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Closer: Gibbon
Rangers closer Sam Dyson visited the Dallas Zoo over the All-Star break and may have found his spirit animal in the gibbons. With long arms and a fuzzy mane like Dyson, we’d put the ball in the hands of our gibbons with a close game on the line in the ninth. |
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