Major League Baseball

Minor-league team brings alligator to championship hoping to break curse

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 8:28 p.m. ET

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Baseball is a game of superstitions.

Three major-league teams have been associated with curses, players go through routines before game appearances and announcers sometimes refrain from telling the audience about a no-hitter fearing they will jinx it.

The Visalia Rawhide, the High-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, also believe in superstition.

The California League team brought a five-foot alligator Friday to Game 2 of their championship series against the Lancaster Jethawks with the hopes of breaking a 36-year-old curse associated with the reptile.

Visalia hasn’t won a California League championship since 1978. That season, they had 1980 American League Rookie of the Year Joe Charboneau on the team, and he owned an alligator named Chopper.

After the team won the ’78 title, Chopper died in the offseason for unknown reasons. Visalia hasn’t won a title since, and thus, we have the Curse of the Gator.

Unfortunately, the gator did more harm than good as the Jethawks beat the Rawhide 3-0 to even up the series at one game apiece. Charboneau even made an appearance to throw out the ceremonial first pitch.

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