Bruce, a 21-month-old golden retriever, took center stage during a ceremony before the Washington Nationals’ 4-3 loss to the Miami Marlins as part of the “Pups in the Park” event. Bruce, who has been fetching bats for the past two seasons with the Rochester Red Wings, Washington’s Triple-A affiliate, showcased his skills once again.
Wearing a bandana featuring an “MLB debut” patch he received upon arriving at the stadium, Bruce was given a commemorative bat. During the ceremony, Nationals reliever Zach Brzykcy accidentally dropped the bat in foul territory, but Bruce eagerly retrieved it, making his way from the dugout to first base and impressing the crowd with his enthusiasm and dedication.
“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, sporting a No. 25 Nationals jersey with “Bruce” on the back, said they drove through the night to reach Washington, arriving around 3 a.m. Saturday. But Bruce took it all in stride, happily soaking up attention as he strolled through the stadium tunnel.
Bruce spent around 50 minutes on the field before the ceremony, receiving plenty of affection from fans. He even practiced bat retrieval a few times with some help from Snyder before Nationals catcher Riley Adams stopped to give him a pet during his pregame warmup.
Bruce didn’t participate in the actual game and will return to his Triple-A duties afterward.
Bruce is Snyder’s second bat dog for the Red Wings, following the late Milo. Both dogs were part of efforts to raise funds for Rochester’s Veterans Outreach Center and Honor Flight of Rochester.
This week brought lots of excitement, including an announcement from the Nationals on Tuesday that Bruce had worked hard enough to earn a promotion.
“Social media and everything like that has really taken off, and we love it,” Snyder said. “It’s great publicity for our mission of bringing people together. It shows that it’s really working.”
