Cardinals Minor League Pitcher Dalton Roach Says He Was Bitten by Bear While Hunting

St. Louis Cardinals minor league pitcher Dalton Roach says he was bitten by a bear this month while hunting for deer in Wisconsin. A black bear climbed the tree he was sitting in and bit him on his back, per Eric Lindquist of the Leader-Telegram.

"He was kind of moseying around. He didn't look like he was on any kind of mission or anything," Roach said. "But when he got to about 20 yards away, he took a left turn and came directly under my tree."

He added: "The next thing I know I can hear him right behind me and feel him breathing on my back. Then I feel a paw on my lap. He just kind of left the paw sitting there, so it's not like I wanted to make a big move and make him squeeze. Right when I thought this might be it, I decided I wasn't going to just go out and it was better to at least try to do something to get out of this situation."

Roach said he felt the bear bite him on his back before he decided to make himself big and scream to scare the bear off. Once the bear was gone, he climbed down the tree and made his way to the emergency room, where he received antibiotics, a tetanus shot and rabies vaccine. 

Roach recorded the initial bear sighting, which was shared by Jennifer Hoff of KARE 11. 

The Cardinals drafted Roach in 2018. He finished the 2021 minor league season with a 7-10 record and 5.65 ERA for the Double-A Springfield Cardinals.