Bald eagle forgets handler and lands on Mariners pitcher James Paxton instead

America's national bird had only one job during the pre-game ceremony, but decided to go completely rogue.

The bald eagle, named Challenger (of course), was suppose to fly through the sky during the national anthem and land on the pitcher's mound on Thursday. However, it had a completely different idea.

Instead, it landed directly onto Seattle Mariners pitcher James Paxton. Maybe it heard "pitcher" instead of "pitcher's mound." It would've freaked out anyone, but surprisingly Paxton played it cool like it wasn't even a big freaking deal to have this huge bird basically attack you.

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"No I wasn't going to run," Paxton told Twin Cities. "I figured I'm not going to outrun an eagle, so I might as well see what happens."

Twitter users praised the player for his calm and collected attitude and the bird's blessing to the native Canadian.

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Tweet may have been deleted

Tweet may have been deleted

Tweet may have been deleted

Tweet may have been deleted

Despite the close contact with Challenger, Paxton didn't suffer from any injuries. If baseball doesn't work out, he may have more opportunities as a bird whisperer.

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