ST. LOUIS — The moth that forced Matt Holliday from the outfield is done causing mischief. What remained of the offending bug was tucked inside a sandwich bag, perfect for TV cameras and for the St. Louis Cardinals outfielder to show it off around the clubhouse.
“He died from an overflow of wisdom that he got in my head,” Holliday jokingly said Tuesday, a day after the insect flew deep inside his right ear during a 2-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Holliday stayed in the game for a few more pitches hoping to shake the moth loose. It was in there about 10 minutes, the buzz more annoying than the pain, before a team of three — two trainers and the team physician — participated in the extraction. First, they tried turning off all the lights, hoping the moth would fly out on its own. Then, out came the tweezers for a sizable bug.
“It didn’t go through?” Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said jokingly.
Ed Spevak, curator for invertebrates for the St. Louis Zoo, said he’s seen incidents of flies and beetles ending up in people’s ears, noting beetles might attempt to chew further in and damage ear drums. He didn’t think Holliday would have any long-term problems, and Holliday’s lighthearted approach Tuesday backed that up.
“That was my concern, that it would eat through my brain,” he said. Denver Post wire services
