Guardians' Will Brennan apologizes to bird lovers after lethal line drive

May 23 (UPI) -- Outfielder Will Brennan took to Twitter -- an app named after bird calls -- to apologize after he hit and killed an avian with a line drive during a Cleveland Guardians win over the Chicago White Sox.

The fatality occurred in the second inning of the Guardians 3-0 triumph Monday in Cleveland.

"I truly am sorry, PETA and bird enthusiasts," Brennan tweeted after the game. "An unfortunate sacrifice."

The Guardians and White Sox were scoreless when Brennan stepped into the box in the bottom of the inning Monday at Progressive Field.

White Sox relief pitcher Jesse Scholtens threw an up-and-away fastball for the only pitch against the Guardians rookie.

Brennan swung and ripped the pitch between second and third base at 101 mph. The ball flew through the infield before it made contact with the bird, and it continued to roll into the outfield.

Brennan reached first base and held his hands above his head as he reacted to the incident.

A member of the Guardians grounds crew removed the bird from the field and the game continued. Guardians first baseman Gabriel Arias scored the first run of the game off a wild pitch during the next at-bat.

The Guardians plated two more runs off a Mike Zunino home run in the bottom of the seventh.

For the second time in less than a week, a bird has been hit on a baseball field. pic.twitter.com/TN1GdqR7bK— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) May 22, 2023

Brennan went 1 for 3 in the win. Zunino, shortstop Amed Rosario and left fielder Steven Kwan were the only other Guardians players to record a hit in the victory.

The White Sox totaled just three hits. Guardians starter Hunter Gaddis allowed just two hits and no runs over six innings to improve to 1-1 this season.

Brennan, 25, was an eighth-round pick by the Guardians in the 2019 MLB Draft. He made his MLB debut last season. Brennan is hitting .210 with a home run, four doubles and 10 RBIs through 41 games this season.

Monday's bird fatality was the second such incident in less than a week in an MLB stadium. On Wednesday, pitcher Zac Gallen hit and killed a bird during warmups before the Arizona Diamondbacks faced the Oakland Athletics.

The Guardians (21-26) will host the White Sox (19-30) at 6:10 p.m. EDT Tuesday in Cleveland.