Boston Red Sox Mascot Missing: 'Wally The Green Monster' Last Seen Running Away From Fenway Park

Just when it appeared as it the Boston Red Sox season couldn't get any worse, local news outlets have reported that the costume of Fenway Park's beloved mascot "Wally the Green Monster" has been stolen.

CBS Boston reported the theft occurred Friday between 2 and 3 p.m. EDT, and police think the suspect is wearing the costume. They ask that anyone in Boston around Boylston and Fairfield streets keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary, presumably a suspect running around the area dressed in a giant green costume. The Boylston and Fairfield intersection is about a mile away from Fenway Park.

The suspect was seen in the costume running near Dartmouth Street.

Wally has been the team mascot since he made his debut in February 1997. Named after Fenway's notorious "Green Monster" wall that overlooks left field, Wally was initially a hit with younger fans. It took until 2009 for the more traditional Red Sox fans to accept the mascot -- in part because of broadcaster Jerry Remy's penchant for making up stories about Wally's history.

Wally is apparently popular enough for his disappearance to be a national trending topic on Twitter. The Boston Police Department's Twitter page called for help, but fans were taking the story in a much lighter vein.

"I fully expect to see grainy video footage of Wally the Green Monster wearing a kicky black beret and robbing a bank," tweeted @BeccaH_JR

"Wally the Green Monster was not stolen, he's just too embarrassed to be seen at Fenway anymore. Not that anyone could blame him...#Boston," tweeted @CameronFrye

The sheer comic value of this case makes it sound like the Wally disappearance was ripped from the pages of the Onion, but a representative of the Boston police confirmed, "[T]here is a larceny in progress," according to BostInno.com.

On a more ominous note, Wally hasn't tweeted from his own account since July 25. Before that, he posted a picture of the field at Fenway Park.

Hopefully, the giant green mascot doesn't wind up underneath the bases of one stadium or another, where legend has Jimmy Hoffa.