The New York Yankees went into last Friday night's game with a new weapon. According to ESPN.com's Sam Borden, "Bronxie the Turtle" has been added to the Bronx Bombers roster, well maybe just the locker room. Following the sweep of the Texas Rangers last week, the young turtle was so much a part of the team that the players took Bronxie on the road to Boston for the 3 game sweep of the Red Sox!

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How did Bronxie earn his pinstripes? Borden uncovered that Nester Cortes Jr., "the Cuban lefthander who played for the Yankees in 2019 and rejoined them this season, led a group of players who were interested in becoming animal owners in a different way. Specifically, they wanted a turtle.After some discussion, a small (and, it must be said, very cute) turtle was acquired from a neighborhood pet store. The players were elated. The turtle's name is Bronxie, an ode to its home borough, and it lives a comfortable life. It wiles away most of its hours in a tank with a piece of tape labeled "Bronxie the Turtle" on it. It is well-fed. At times, it even roams freely, crawling among the white, interlocking-NYs on the blue clubhouse carpet."

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"There is a lot of love," Yankees veteran outfielder Brett Gardner told ESPN.com's Sam Borden, adding, "Everyone is also very aware of what's happening lately...Lucky charm, whatever you want to call it; I know a lot of guys believe there's a connection here," Gardner said before Sunday's game. "At the end of it, it would be great if we could go out and get him a little World Series ring."

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Click here to read Sam Borden's entire ESPN.com article.

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LOOK: Here are the pets banned in each state

Because the regulation of exotic animals is left to states, some organizations, including The Humane Society of the United States, advocate for federal, standardized legislation that would ban owning large cats, bears, primates, and large poisonous snakes as pets.

Read on to see which pets are banned in your home state, as well as across the nation.

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