Royals' Rally Mantis retires, finds new home

The rally mantis has officially called it quits, from baseball at least.

The Kansas City Royals announced Tuesday that their beloved praying mantis - Rally Mantis Jr. - was sent to the Lakeside Nature Center to live a normal life out of the baseball spotlight.

The mantis madness all started back in August, when Royals players discovered a praying mantis in the clubhouse.

It sparked a winning streak for the team, and they decided it would tag along permanently. After mantis senior died during a series in Minnesota, as fate would have it, another mantis made its way into the clubhouse a few days later, sparking a new relationship and winning streak.

With mantis No. 2, the Royals have gone 12-6 heading into Tuesday's game against the Twins. Instead of risking facing the same fate as his predecessor, the Royals opted to go the safe route by delivering it to the local nature center.

The mania has led to mantis merchandise including hats, T-shirts, and masks at Kauffman Stadium as the Royals continue to battle for an American League wild-card spot.