The Chicken Runs at Midnight: One of Baseball’s Most Emotional Stories

There are countless stories in baseball that fans remember for the games themselves. But every once in a while, there is a story behind the game that is even more powerful.

One of the most emotional—and lesser-known—stories in baseball begins with a 17-year-old girl, her father, and a strange phrase that would eventually become part of baseball history:

“The Chicken Runs at Midnight.”

Rich Donnelly is a former Major League Baseball coach who spent more than 30 years working in professional baseball. Throughout his career, he held coaching positions with several organizations, including the Texas Rangers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Florida Marlins, Colorado Rockies, Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Dodgers and Seattle Mariners.

But long before the phrase became famous, it was simply something shared between a father and his daughter.

Where the Story Begins

The story begins in 1992, when Donnelly was the third-base coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

That year, his 17-year-old daughter, Amy Donnelly, was diagnosed with a brain tumor. She began undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatments, and despite the seriousness of her condition, Amy remained determined.

She told her father that she was going to beat it.

Meanwhile, the Pirates were having a special season of their own. They won the National League East and advanced to the NLCS, where they faced the Atlanta Braves.

During Game 5 of the series, Rich brought Amy, his son and one of Amy’s friends to the game.

At one point, Amy noticed something her father would do while coaching. Whenever he wanted to communicate with the runner on second base, Donnelly would cup his hands around his mouth and yell toward the field.

After the game, while the family was driving home, Amy jokingly asked her father what he was saying to the players.

“What are you tellin’ those guys at second? ‘The chicken runs at midnight,’ or what?”

The entire car erupted in laughter.

Nobody knew where Amy had come up with the phrase. It was simply one of those random, funny moments between a daughter and her family.

But the phrase was about to take on a much deeper meaning.

The Chicken Runs at Midnight

Before Game 7 of the NLCS against the Braves, a clubhouse attendant left Donnelly a note on stationery.

It contained just five words:

“The Chicken Runs at Midnight.”

Pirates second baseman José Lind saw the note and immediately started running around the clubhouse yelling the phrase. He even repeated it during the televised lineup introductions.

Amy, along with her family and friends, watched it happen.

The phrase that had started as a joke in the car had somehow made its way into the middle of the National League Championship Series.

Unfortunately, the Pirates lost Game 7 to the Braves.

But the story wasn't over.

Three months later, Amy passed away at just 18 years old.

On her tombstone, the family had those same words engraved:

“The Chicken Runs at Midnight.”

What had started as a silly joke between a father and daughter had become a permanent reminder of Amy.

The Chicken Ran at Midnight

Fast forward five years, and Rich Donnelly found himself back on baseball’s biggest stage.

This time, he was coaching for the Florida Marlins in the 1997 World Series.

The Marlins had reached the World Series for the first time in franchise history, facing the Cleveland Indians in a dramatic seven-game series.

Game 7 went into extra innings.

In the bottom of the 11th inning, Edgar Renteria stepped to the plate against Cleveland pitcher Charles Nagy. Renteria delivered a base hit into center field, driving home Craig Counsell with the championship-winning run.

The Marlins were World Series champions.

But there was another small detail that made the moment especially meaningful for Donnelly.

Counsell had an unusual batting stance, and Donnelly’s sons had jokingly given him the nickname “Chicken” because of it.

As Counsell crossed home plate, the Marlins players and coaches poured onto the field to celebrate.

Donnelly’s sons joined the celebration and eventually found their father.

Then, one of his sons, Tim, looked up at the scoreboard clock.

He told his dad to look at the time.

It was midnight.

Five years after Amy had jokingly asked her father about “the chicken” running at midnight, the phrase had come full circle on baseball’s biggest stage.

The chicken ran at midnight.

For Donnelly, it wasn't just a funny coincidence. It was a moment that connected a World Series championship to the memory of his daughter.

Sometimes, the stories that stay with us the longest have nothing to do with the box score.

Sometimes, they are about family, memories, and the people we carry with us long after they are gone.

And for Rich Donnelly, one of those memories will forever be five simple words:

The Chicken Runs at Midnight.