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Bruce the Bat Dog Looked So Happy Ahead of His MLB Debut With Nationals
Bruce the bat dog's highly anticipated Major League debut is finally upon us. The Washington Nationals called him up from their Triple-A affiliate, the Rochester Red Wings, Wednesday in an adorable moment.
Now, the 21-month-old golden retriever has made his way to the nation's capital for his moment in the big leagues Saturday as the Nationals take on the Miami Marlins. He looked ready for the moment, but mainly so doggone happy to be there.
DOG at the PARK 🐾 pic.twitter.com/SgUpYhtvYn
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) June 14, 2025
Bruce the Bat Dog has been called up by the @Nationals!
— MLB (@MLB) June 14, 2025
Welcome to The Show, Bruce! 🐶 pic.twitter.com/iF7gglCAWH
He even got an MLB debut patch to wear on his bandana, which may eventually find its way into his very own trading card:
Bruce has his own MLB Debut Patch! 👀 https://t.co/rEzeRiF3UQ pic.twitter.com/OXw8dDUsQ3
— MLB (@MLB) June 14, 2025
Bruce's debut coincides with "Pup in the Park" at Nationals Park Saturday. The team prepared a press conference, pregame recognition and honorary bat retrieval for Bruce and fans to enjoy.
The adorable pup made his professional debut in September with Rochester and the team even said he's posted a 1.000 retrieving average in three appearances this season. I mean, just look at how he powered through his first retrieval with Rochester like a pro:
Here's Brucie! 🐶@RocRedWings bat dog Bruce has a successful pro debut 😍@Nationals | @Nats_PlayerDev pic.twitter.com/6xN0VFsfwy
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) September 6, 2024
He has the form, care for the bat and ability to recover no matter what happens to get the job done. A paws-pect that was bound for the big leagues from day one, literally:
🚨NEW PAWSPECT ALERT🚨
— Rochester Red Wings (@RocRedWings) December 18, 2023
Please welcome the Big Hitter of the Litter...
Bruce the Bat Dog! pic.twitter.com/lL7blWwyxN
Congrats Bruce, we're all rooting for you—the goodest boy around.
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Blake Silverman is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, he covered the WNBA, NBA, G League and college basketball for numerous sites, including Winsidr, SB Nation's Detroit Bad Boys and A10Talk. He graduated from Michigan State University before receiving a master's in sports journalism from St. Bonaventure University. Outside of work, he's probably binging the latest Netflix documentary, at a yoga studio or enjoying everything Detroit sports. A lifelong Michigander, he lives in suburban Detroit with his wife, young son and their personal petting zoo of two cats and a dog.