Fastball

Matt Chapman's Dog Takes Center Stage at San Francisco Giants' Pregame Warmups

The San Francisco Giants' practice on Wednesday was disrupted by Matt Chapman's dog, Harley, so the All-Star third baseman had to remove the puppy from the field.
Sam Connon|
May 23, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman (26) takes ground balls to warm up before the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.
May 23, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman (26) takes ground balls to warm up before the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. | Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

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San Francisco Giants

Before the San Francisco Giants' game against the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday, an unexpected visitor took the field during warmups.

Giants third baseman Matt Chapman brought his dog, Harley, to Oracle Park for the afternoon. Chapman even played a little fetch with the golden retriever puppy, who ran around with a baseball in his mouth during San Francisco's infield work.

NBC Sports Bay Area captured footage of the intrusion, which ended in Chapman carrying Harley away from his teammates and sending him after another ball down the third base line.

This isn't the first time Harley has visited Oracle Park this season, as he made his debut at the stadium back in April. Based on how old Harley looks, Chapman and his wife, Taylor, likely adopted him at some point in the last year.

The Giants signed Chapman to a three-year, $54 million contract in March.

Chapman, 31, made his MLB debut with the Oakland Athletics back in 2017. In 2018 and 2019, he finished seventh and sixth in AL MVP voting.

The A's eventually traded the All-Star to the Toronto Blue Jays ahead of the 2022 campaign. Chapman spent two years north of the border before returning to the Bay Area.

Through 55 games this season, Chapman is batting .241 with eight home runs, 27 RBI, five stolen bases, a .729 OPS and a 2.7 WAR. The four-time Gold Glove winner leads the NL with a 1.0 defensive WAR and eight defensive runs saved at third base.

Chapman and the Giants started their series finale against the Phillies at 3:45 p.m. ET on Wednesday.

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a staff writer covering baseball for “Fastball on SI.’’ He previously covered UCLA Athletics for On SI’s All Bruins site, and is a UCLA graduate, with his work there as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for On SI’s New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk. Sam lives in Boston.

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