Braves bat boy rescues actual bat, realizes his true calling [UPDATE: But not really? But kind of?]

On Wednesday, a real, live bat found its way onto Turner Field. Paul Janish briefly scooped it into his glove before the critter was rescued by -- wait for it -- a bat boy.

Please hold your applause until the end of this post.

First of all, there's something inherently hilarious about the common practice of embroidering a bat boy's jersey with "BAT BOY." Is that his name? Maybe becoming a bat boy is like joining the Men in Black. Your former identity is subsumed into Agent J, K or -- in this case -- B, and then that metal orb thing burns off your fingerprints.

But that, obviously, is just the potatoes to the real comedic meat at play here. Until this fateful night, this bat boy (let's call him Bat Boy) thought he'd found the perfect career to suit his unique skillset: managing balls, gloves and all manner of baseball equipment. Bat Boy was wrong.

Bat Boy, you've finally come home. I'm sure there are some solid veterinary programs in the greater Atlanta area.

UPDATE:

Deadspin points out that, when Bat Boy tried to transfer the bat from Janish's glove to a towel, the bat actually flew away. Take a look:

This means our young friend ran to the dugout not in the spirit of bat welfare, but simply to spook the players with the illusion of a wild, possibly rabid animal. Well played, Bat Boy.

Then again, others have suggested that what we see here is not one bat, but two producing a future generation of airborne baseball fans. So, in conclusion: Nature!