Overview
- Video shows the Sacramento River Cats mascot, Dinger, dressed in a Santa outfit and riding a motorized scooter collide with Oklahoma City Comets outfielder Alek Thomas as he exited the dugout.
- The collision, which occurred Saturday, July 25, sent both the player and mascot to the ground but Thomas returned to play and sustained no reported injury.
- The short clip was first posted to Reddit and then spread rapidly on X and Instagram, drawing millions of views and broad fan reaction that included critiques of Thomas’s situational awareness.
- Thomas’s season context provided framing for the reaction: he was designated for assignment by Arizona in May, traded to the Dodgers, and is hitting .259/.329/.427 with five homers and 21 RBIs in 36 Triple‑A games.
- The episode highlights recurring safety concerns about mascots operating motorized devices and limited-vision costumes at promotions and could prompt teams to review ground‑crew and mascot procedures before future events.