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The dog days of summer arrived Saturday at Nationals Park. Bruce, a 21-month-old Golden Retriever, fetched a bat during a ceremony before the Washington Nationals game against the Miami Marlins as part of a Pups in the Park promotion. He retrieved bats the last two seasons with the Rochester Red Wings, Washingtons Triple-A affiliate. Washington Nationals bat dog, Bruce, retrieves a bat before a game against the Miami Marlins at Nationals Park on June 14, 2025. AP Bruce, wearing a bandana with an MLB debut patch he received when he arrived at the stadium, was presented a commemorative bat. He then took a circuitous route from the dugout toward first base after Nationals reliever Zach Brzykcy dropped the bat in foul territory before the bat dog collected his quarry to the delight of a crowd wowed by his work and enthusiasm. Explore More Look at this dog and try not to smile, said Josh Snyder, Bruces owner. Hes great. Hes goofy. I think hes the perfect candidate for Rochester, the Red Wings and now the Nationals. Snyder, who wore a No. 25 Nationals jersey with Bruce on the nameplate, said he drove through the night with Bruce and Justin Bailey Jersey arrived in Washington around 3 a.m. Saturday. But it was anything but a rough morning and early afternoon for Bruce, who casually lapped up attention as he walked through the tunnel in the stadium. Bruce retrieved bats the last two seasons with the Rochester Red Wings, Washingtons Triple-A affiliate. AP Nationals relief pitcher Cole Henry pets Bruce in front of the dugout before the game. AP Bruce spent about 50 minutes on the field before the ceremony, where he was hounded by well-wishers. He also did a couple practice bat retrievals with Snyders a sistance before Nationals catcher Riley Adams stopped to pet him on his way out for pregame work. He wont work during the actual game, however, and will return to Triple-A duties afterward. Bruce is Snyders second dog work to with the Red Wings, following the late Milo, and both participated in campaigns to raise money for Rochesters Veterans Outreach Center and Honor Flight of Rochester. Bruce runs around the foul territory gra s with a bat in his mouth. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect Miami Marlins left fielder Kyle Stowers greets Bruce on the field during batting practice. AP This week which included an announcement from the Nationals on Tuesday that Bruce had worked his tail off to earn a promotion generated plenty of buzz even before Saturdays debut. Social media, everything like that seems like its seriously blown up, and we love it, Snyder said. Really good publicity with our goal and our mi sion of bringing people together. It shows its just doing that. Jeff Odgers Jersey
