Ornithologists, birdwatchers, and other fans of our tiny hollow-boned winged brethren sighed in relief as the first pitch of World Series Game Three went off without a hitch.

The first pitch of Game Three was thrown by former D-Back and Bird Slaughterer Randy Johnson, who infamously annihilated a mourning dove with a pitch back in 2001.

“It gives new context to the phrase ‘a murder of crows,'” quipped an ornithologist who had clearly been waiting years for an opportunity to make that joke. It wasn’t even a crow, dude. Get your bird history right.

Sports journalists love to write about wacky occurrences like this though! After all, it’s not every day you see a bird explode. Some sportswriters caught up with Randy Johnson prior to tonight’s Game Three, to get the scoop!

“It’s not a laughing matter,” said Randy Johnson, who, according to close pals, is haunted to this day by the bird with unfinished business. “It was a freak accident, I actually really like birds. I love all animals.”

“It was 21 years ago,” Mr. Johnson continued, anxiously glancing to the roof of the ballpark where a small crowd of local wildlife was gathering. “A lot has happened since then. It was an accident, I tell you!”

Good luck to the Diamondbacks and Rangers in Game Three! Have fun out there!