PORTLAND, Ore. — Dillon T. Pickle, mascot for the Portland Pickles collegiate baseball team, has been returned after being stolen earlier this month.
Dillon was anonymously dropped off outside Voodoo Doughnuts on Wednesday, the team announced in a press release. The mascot costume was "a little more worn for the wear" but still in good condition, the team said.
“We are so happy to have Dillon back,” Portland Pickles co-owner Alan Miller said in a statement. “It's incredible to see our community come together to get the word out about our missing pickle. We would not have him back if it wasn't for the amazing people of Portland and Pickles fans around the world.”
The team previously announced on Feb. 9 that the mascot costume had been stolen after being placed in a checked duffel bag that got lost on the way back from a trip to the Dominican Republic.
Delta Airlines eventually found the bag and dropped it off at the Pickle's headquarters in Southeast Portland, but the drop-off was after hours and someone swiped the bag from the front porch early the following morning.
The news of Dillon's kidnapping was met with an outpouring of tongue-in-cheek messages of support from sports teams and elected officials, as well as a large degree of skepticism and eye-rolling due to the mascot's history of ill-advised social media stunts.
The team insisted that the theft was not a joke or hoax, and Portland police confirmed that the team had filed a police report.
The team's upcoming season will begin May 31 at Walker Stadium in Portland's Lents Park.
