Nationals' bat-retrieving dog Bruce laps up pregame attention, makes MLB debut
WASHINGTON (AP) — 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, Washington's Triple-A affiliate.
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.
'Look at this dog and try not to smile,' said Josh Snyder, Bruce's owner. 'He's great. He's goofy. I think he's 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 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 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 Snyder's assistance before Nationals catcher Riley Adams stopped to pet him on his way out for pregame work.
He won't work during the actual game, however, and will return to Triple-A duties afterward.
Winnipeg Jets Game Days
On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.
Bruce is Snyder's second dog work to with the Red Wings, following the late Milo, and both participated in campaigns to raise money for Rochester's Veterans Outreach Center and Honor Flight of Rochester.
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 Saturday's debut.
'Social media, everything like that seems like it's seriously blown up, and we love it,' Snyder said. 'Really good publicity with our goal and our mission of bringing people together. It shows it's just doing that.'
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
8 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Dave Martinez defends coaching staff as sputtering Nationals' losing streak reaches seven
WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez bristled Saturday when asked how much of his team's recent offensive struggles should be apportioned between players and his coaches after the 4-3 loss to the Miami Marlins. 'It's never on coaching,' Martinez said. 'Never on coaching. Coaches work their (butts) off every single day. We're not going to fingerpoint here and say it's coaches. It's never on the coaches. They work hard. The message is clear. All the work is done prior. So, sometimes, they have to go out there and play the game. It's always been about the players. Always.' The Nationals have lost seven in a row, tied for their longest skid of the season. They've averaged 2.5 runs while going 2-10 in June and are a season-high 10 games under .500 at 30-40, two games ahead of the last-place Marlins in the NL East. Martinez led Washington to its first World Series title in 2019, but the Nationals struggled to a 26-34 record in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. The club began a rebuild at the trade deadline in 2021, and has not finished higher than fourth in the division in the last five years. Martinez is 493-609 in eight seasons. 'I played this game a long time,' Martinez said. 'Never once have I blamed a coach for anything. We worked our (butts) off to get better, they gave us information and we used it. These guys understand what the game is, man. I never had a such a group of coaches that work as hard as they do.' Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Washington's offensive issues have been particularly acute this month. The Nationals rank last in the majors in runs (30), walks (23), on-base percentage (.267) and slugging percentage (.304) in June and are 29th in both home runs (six) and batting average (.216) over the last two weeks. They have scored more than three runs in a game only twice this month. The Nationals went 2 for 10 with runners in scoring position Saturday, including Amed Rosario's flyout and James Wood's pop out with the bases loaded in the ninth inning to end the game. The Marlins scored their fourth run when Washington second baseman Luis García Jr. dropped a pop fly with two outs in the eighth inning. 'These coaches, they work their (butts) off,' Martinez said. 'And I know every coaching staff is like that. And the players know. Sometimes you have to put the onus on the players and they have to go out there and they have to play the game and play the game the right way. We can't hit for them, we can't catch the ball for them, we can't pitch for them, we can't throw strikes for them. They've got to do that.' ___ AP MLB:
CTV News
12 hours ago
- CTV News
Nationals' bat-retrieving dog Bruce laps up pregame attention, makes MLB debut
Bruce, the bat dog, retrieves a bat as he is recognized before a baseball game between the Washington Nationals and the Miami Marlins, Saturday, June 14, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass) WASHINGTON — 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, Washington's Triple-A affiliate. 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. 'Look at this dog and try not to smile,' said Josh Snyder, Bruce's owner. 'He's great. He's goofy. I think he's 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 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 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 Snyder's assistance before Nationals catcher Riley Adams stopped to pet him on his way out for pregame work. He won't work during the actual game, however, and will return to Triple-A duties afterward. Bruce is Snyder's second dog work to with the Red Wings, following the late Milo, and both participated in campaigns to raise money for Rochester's Veterans Outreach Center and Honor Flight of Rochester. 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 Saturday's debut. 'Social media, everything like that seems like it's seriously blown up, and we love it,' Snyder said. 'Really good publicity with our goal and our mission of bringing people together. It shows it's just doing that.' Patrick Stevens, The Associated Press
Winnipeg Free Press
12 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Nationals' bat-retrieving dog Bruce laps up pregame attention, makes MLB debut
WASHINGTON (AP) — 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, Washington's Triple-A affiliate. 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. 'Look at this dog and try not to smile,' said Josh Snyder, Bruce's owner. 'He's great. He's goofy. I think he's 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 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 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 Snyder's assistance before Nationals catcher Riley Adams stopped to pet him on his way out for pregame work. He won't work during the actual game, however, and will return to Triple-A duties afterward. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Bruce is Snyder's second dog work to with the Red Wings, following the late Milo, and both participated in campaigns to raise money for Rochester's Veterans Outreach Center and Honor Flight of Rochester. 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 Saturday's debut. 'Social media, everything like that seems like it's seriously blown up, and we love it,' Snyder said. 'Really good publicity with our goal and our mission of bringing people together. It shows it's just doing that.' ___ AP MLB:
