Batman to the rescue: Spurs mascot, dressed as Caped Crusader, catches bat on court

SAN ANTONIO — It was Batman to the rescue during Saturday’s NBA game in San Antonio.

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The team’s mascot, The Coyote, raced onto the court during the early moments of the game between the Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves when a bat flew down from the rafters of Frost Bank Center, Sports Illustrated reported.

Cue the Bat-Signal.

Dressed in a Batman costume -- pointy ears, black cape -- and armed with a butterfly net, the mascot ran onto the court.

The crowd, enjoying The Coyote’s antics and the theme from the 1960s “Batman” television series that blared from the loudspeakers, watched as the mascot made several swipes with a net before trapping the bat.

“Got him! Got him!” Timberwolves play-by-play announcer Michael Grady said on the Bally Sports North broadcast, according to Sports Illustrated.

The unexpected guest showed up after Spurs star Victor Wembanyama hit a 3-pointer to give San Antonio a 5-3 lead, according to The Athletic. It was the rookie’s first encounter with a bat during a game, but it was not the first time a bat had interrupted a Spurs game.

In 2009, bats interrupted a Halloween game between the Spurs and the Sacramento Kings, the magazine reported. The Coyote appeared in a Batman costume that night, too.

Spurs legend Manu Ginobili managed to swat the bat out of the air, but later wrote on social media that he needed to get rabies shots after the game.

The two teams were victimized by a bat-interruption again in March 2011, and at least three games in 2019 were delayed because of bats, The Athletic reported.

After Saturday’s bat encounter, San Antonio guard Devin Vassell gave The Coyote a hug, and Wembanyama made sure to pay his respects before play finally resumed, according to Sports Illustrated.

All in a day’s work for The Coyote.

Oh, and the Spurs won, 113-112.

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