The rogue kitten appeared in center field at just past 9:35 p.m. here on Wednesday, after the Royals had loaded the bases in the sixth inning against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium, but minutes before another night unraveled and a bullpen came apart in an 8-5 loss.

For close to two minutes, the action was delayed as a member of the staff at Busch Stadium jogged out toward center field to retrieve the cat, surviving the wrath of its claws along the way.

When the night was over, Kansas City had fallen out of the second American League wild card spot and remained four games behind first-place Cleveland, which lost against Colorado.

Royals manager Ned Yost sank into a chair inside his office, donning a T-shirt dedicated to reliever Peter Moylan’s “Sledge-iatto” espresso drink.

Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, left, celebrated after hitting a Grand Slam off Royals reliever Peter Moylan during the sixth inning Wednesday in St. Louis.