Minor league team’s new bat dog went rogue

Back in July, the Single-A Clearwater Threshers, affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies, bid a happy retirement to Layla , their bat dog of 13 years.

Layla retrieved her last bat and was gifted with a sweet note on a bone-shaped baseball cake. It read, “Happy Retirement Layla.”

From there, the search was on to replace her but it didn’t take long. Layla handed the torch to her sister, Lucy May, who made her debut on Friday night.

As the Threshers warmed up before their game against the Dunedin Blue Jays, a staffer tossed a bat in foul territory nearby the dugout for Lucy to practice on. But the young pup had other ideas.

Lucy passed on the bat and ran wildly onto the field, clearly full of excitement. She attempted to greet several players and members of the grounds crew before she left her mark on the infield grass just behind the pitching mound.

We’ll call that a rookie mistake. Sometimes the excitement just hits you like a cup of coffee.

Adding to the moment, Lucy received a loud standing ovation for her, um, movement as Abba’s “Dancing Queen” blared in the background.

Luckily for Lucy, she has some time to get the rookie jitters out of her system and train. The Threshers’ next “Beach Dogs” game isn’t scheduled until April.

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