Ballpark dogs: A beloved Minor League tradition

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When the Trenton Thunder announced that Derby, the team's beloved team bat dog, had passed away a couple years ago, the news resulted in a flood of condolences from across the country, an outpouring of grief that spoke to the profound impact the ebullient golden retriever had on the Yankees' Double-A affiliate's game day experience.

In June 2017 we celebrated my dad Derby with @TrentonThunder players in special "Derby Jerseys", presented by @NutriSourcePF. @SharifOtheMan, @Vince_VU3, @zzehner, @billy_mckinney, Boomer & Cloudman all loved them and joined in, including my fren Mike Ford. #ThrowbackThursday pic.twitter.com/Vwv8EQxKhF

— Rookie (@BatdogRookie) June 18, 2020

The passionate public response to Derby's passing was motivated, at least in part, by the strong bat dog tradition the Thunder have established -- one that teams across the Minor Leagues have been happy to emulate. His importance speaks to the outsized roles of dogs at Minor League baseball parks across the country. Some, like Derby, are trained to retrieve bats and deliver water to the umpires. Others enliven the ballpark with their simple, joyful presence.

Derby carried on in the footsteps -- or "paw steps," using the Thunder's preferred terminology -- of his father, Chase, who began his bat dog duties back in 2002.

"Chase was more than just a dog," said Thunder senior vice president of corporate sales Eric Lipsman, who served as Chase (and Derby's) caretaker. "He had those piercing eyes and he'd look at you right into your soul."

Derby's son and Chase's grandson, Rookie is now the head bat dog in Trenton. The 6-year-old earned multiple callups to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, though the home dugout location tripped him up a little.

Rookie the Bat Dog doesn't grab the bat, still does something awesome. pic.twitter.com/UIJt236O2C

— Conor Foley (@RailRidersTT) July 19, 2017

Rookie even got called up to the Majors in July 2019. And although dogs aren't allowed to retrieve bats in The Show just yet, he still made an impression on players and fans.

Now, Rookie spends his time teaching the family business to his cousin, Dash. The latest puppy was born in February and is slowly learning how to pick up bats, as well as swim.

I had fun hanging out with Dash on the backyard deck this weekend.
It reminded me of how I used to stay on the deck with my dad Derby when I was a puppy. When my dad was a puppy, he would play with his dad Chase in the backyard. History repeats itself. #FourGenerationsOfBatDogs pic.twitter.com/ygeWw0uVQA

— Rookie (@BatdogRookie) June 29, 2020

The canine family's onfield lineage expanded out of Trenton. Derby's older brother, Ollie, served as the New Hampshire Fisher Cats' "Big Paw-Pi" before retiring at the end of the 2016 campaign.

My dad Derby had 3 brothers. My Uncle Ollie is 12 and the only one still with us. He was part of "The Family Business" as the bat dog for @FisherCats for many years. He came to @TrentonThunder to be with me in April 2018, and we had so much fun together. #ThrowbackThursday. pic.twitter.com/KrEXqYQV1y

— Rookie (@BatdogRookie) March 26, 2020

In 2006, four years after the Thunder acquired Chase, the Greensboro Grasshoppers debuted their own bat dog. Over the ensuing 11 seasons, they have been perhaps the only team to rival the Thunder for commitment to the bat dog tradition.

It began with Miss Babe Ruth, a black Labrador who was 9 months old when she took the field for the first time in July 2006. She quickly became a fan favorite and worked 649 consecutive games before retiring in 2015 (at which point, her ball bucket was donated to the National Baseball Hall of Fame). In November 2018, the Grasshoppers reported that she received two votes in the city's mayoral election.

For a large part of her run as a bat dog, Miss Babe Ruth worked alongside her brother, Master Yogi Berra. Master Yogi Berra's signature between-inning promotion was to chase a tennis ball shot out of a modified T-shirt gun. On one memorable evening in 2009, the dog was ejected from the game after relieving himself on the field in the midst of this endeavor.

These days, the Grasshoppers currently employ the services of Miss Lou Lou Gehrig, a black lab who took over the bat dog role upon Miss Babe Ruth's retirement.

Miss Lou Lou Gehrig getting the job done chasing down foul balls inbetween pitches. pic.twitter.com/bDuiOnfeZu

— Greensboro Grasshoppers (@GSOHoppers) July 8, 2017

Master Yogi Berra isn't the only canine to relieve himself on the field. Deuce, an English yellow Labrador, has worked as the Myrtle Beach Pelicans' bat dog for the better part of a decade. In 2009, he "lived up to his name."

Following Deuce's retirement in 2018, Slider took over for the Pelicans in 2019. The yellow lab fetches bats, carries baskets and loves to run the basepaths on offdays.

Bat Doggo Slider 🐶

✔️ Carolina League Bat Dog of the Year*
✔️ .998 bat retrieval %**
✔️ Two time @MiLB twitter header photo honors***

. . .

*self-proclaimed
**unconfirmed, probably higher
***it should be more, tbh pic.twitter.com/qpeUEZf4aR

— Myrtle Beach Pelicans are rooting for the Cubs (@Pelicanbaseball) October 3, 2019

Joining Master Yogi Berra and Deuce, a third instance occurred in 2010 at a Northwest Arkansas Naturals game. The culprit was a shelter dog who was on the field as part of the team's "Adoptable Pet of the Game Promotion."

Such promotions are common in Minor League baseball. In at least one instance, the team running the promotion adopted a dog itself. That was the case with the Reno Aces, who took ownership of Princess the pit bull. Initially, the team agreed to foster Princess until she found her "forever home." But after no takers were found, the Aces took her on as a member of the front office family. Princess mingles with fans on the concourse at Greater Nevada Field and has become so popular that the Aces began selling Princess plush dolls at the team store.

Princess, our foster dog from the @NVHumaneSociety, is enjoying the green grass courtesy of @AcesGroundsCrew! pic.twitter.com/2ZMY0qfDLo

— Reno Aces (@Aces) September 24, 2014

There are other notable Minor League ballpark dogs and many more will make their presence felt. One especially valiant pup can be found in Frisco, Texas: the RoughRiders have Brooks, who was originally trained as a guide dog, switch careers to a bat dog role. As this tweet from 2017 indicates, training for that bat dog life isn't easy.

Watch out 🛑! @RidersBrooks is running the bases! #DogCrossing #RunBrooksRun 🐶 pic.twitter.com/jOPARsapWu

— Frisco RoughRiders (@RidersBaseball) June 20, 2017

From Lexington to Las Vegas and beyond, a pack of even more scrappy puppies have joined the Minor League ranks in recent years. For more info on some of the newest cool canines, check out this roundup!