Phillies’ minor league team bat dog goes viral for chaotic debut
She never did retrieve the bat, but she’s keeping her job.
Every dog has its day. This one just happened to go viral.
The Clearwater Threshers — the Phillies’ Single-A minor league affiliate — welcomed their new bat dog, Lucy May, during the team’s game against the visiting Dunedin Blue Jays on Friday. But her debut was chaotic at best, complete with a running tour around the infield, a pass through the visitor dugout, and a grand finale: taking a number two on the field. She never did retrieve the bat.
In the days since, Lucy May’s foul moment from Friday’s game has gone viral, sparking new fandom for the 10-month-old Labrador retriever. Videos of the incident across social media have been viewed millions of times.
“We kinda had a feeling that something special would happen with her,” Dominic Repper, the Threshers’ game entertainment manager, told Tampa Bay Fox13. “But I don’t think we ever could’ve imagined it was going to get taken to that level.”
Predictably, Phillies fans have also joined in on the fun:
Lucy May’s debut was prompted by her 13-year-old sister, Layla’s, retirement from bat dog duties last month after six years of service. Andrew Davis, who owns both dogs, said Lucy May had been in training for months to take over as team bat dog.
But overstimulation clearly got the best of the pup, who tore through BayCare Ballpark ahead of the fourth inning in a rampage of zoomies.
“The word my fiancé and I used was mortified,” Davis told Fox13. “It felt like an eternity of her going in that dugout. When she squatted I definitely went to panic mode ... In bed that night, I was like ‘it’s going to be OK right?’”
The dog’s off-script run earned her a post on the popular dog-ranking social media account, @WeRateDogs.
Despite the chaos, the Threshers assured fans that Lucy May’s job is safe.
“Even if she doesn’t have it quite right, she is 1000% KEEPING her job,” the team posted on X. “Couldn’t be mad at this sweet face if we tried.”
No word from the Phillies on if we’ll get a bat dog of our own any time soon. The teams did not respond to requests for comment as of publication time.