Newly-Appointed Minor League Bat Dog in Florida Has 'Eventful' First Day on the Job

The Minor League baseball team Clearwater Threshers welcomed their new bat dog, and her first day on the job was very "eventful."

On August 23, 2024, the Clearwater Threshers, the minor-league affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies, had their new bat dog make her first outing debut, and it was a little chaotic. Take a look!

On X, a clip of the new bat dog's first day showed how it took a turn no one expected. And it was a little funny.

Related: Greensboro Baseball Team's 'Bat Dog' Gets a Pep Talk During the Game and It's Too Cute

The tweet calls the Clearwater Thresher's "anointed new bat dog" Lily, but according to the introduction from Clearwater Beach Dogs (@Threshers) on August 21, 2024, the new bat dog's name is Lucy May. And she had an eventful first day.

She seemed a little lost and overwhelmed, and when it came time to pick up a bat, still adorable and hilarious, instead of grabbing the bat, she decided to run around the field, then squatted and did her business right infield.

The comments in the X thread were hilarious and supportive of the new pup, given it was her first day.

"The field surely got 'anointed,' didn't it?" one person wrote.

"At the end of the day, grass is grass," another shared. "It was pee pee time!"

"Sometimes, you just gotta go," another added.

"When you gotta go, you gotta go," shared another X user.

It's nice to see people understand the pup's first day on the job, and we're excited to see how her second game as the new official bat dog goes.

Lucy May Is Taking Over for Her Big Sister Who Retired

According to Axios , Lucy May is taking over for her adopted older sister, Layla, who retired last month after six years as the team's bat dog.

On July 19, Clearwater Beach Dogs shared a sweet message on X to celebrate Laya's retirement: "Our ole girl is retiring tonight. Layla will 'work' her last game after six years of service at the age of 13."

Lucy Mae, a Yellow Labrador, made her debut at the August 23 game, being sent out at the bottom of the third inning, according to Axios. She then hung around to meet some fans.

Yesterday was the last Beach Dogs Fridays game of the season, where ticketgoers are encouraged to bring their dogs to watch the game, an event that benefits the Humane Society of Pinellas.

According to We Rate Dogs , the job of a bat dog is to "rush out to home plate after their team's hitters and pick up the discarded bats to take back to their dugout." We're confident Lucy May will become an excellent bat dog now that she has gotten her nerves out.