Dogs are good. Baseball is good. Baseball dogs are even better. Plenty of minor league and college teams have bat dogs that run onto the field and help out with equipment.
Rookie the bat dog forgets his job, plays fetch with the pitcher instead
Bad job but good dog.
Monday night there was a brief stoppage in play when this bat dog, Rookie, ran out to the mound to grab the ball instead of the bat. No one seemed to mind, though. Look at him go!
Then he just trots back to the dugout, happy as can be. But let’s not be too hard on him — he’s still “perfecting his craft,” according to the Trenton Thunder website. (The Thunder is the Double-A affiliate of the Yankees.)
Tonight, though, Rookie was visiting the Triple-A affiliate, the Scranton- Wilkes-Barre Rail Riders.
Rookie is part of a family of bat dogs employed by the team. His grandfather, Chase, was the first bat dog. He started work in 2002 and hung out on the field until his death in 2013. Rookie’s dad, Derby, started making appearances in 2008, and Rookie himself began his job in 2014. The father and son duo work as a team to workout with the players and help with bats and water.
Notice the family resemblance? Good job, Rookie and Derby!
