The dog days of summer arrived Saturday at Nationals Park. Bruce, a 21-month-old golden retriever, fetched a bat during a ceremony before the Washington Nationals-Miami Marlins game.

Bruce the Bat Dog will only be on the field for a pregame ceremonial bat retrieval. Bruce spent three games honing his bat retrieval skills with the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings.

The dog days of summer arrived Saturday at Nationals Park. Bruce, a 21-month-old Golden Retriever, fetched a bat during a ceremony before the Washington Nationals’ game against the Miami Marlins ...

Most teams use bat boys or bat girls. Rochester uses Bruce. Earlier in the week, the Nationals announced on social media that Bruce had been “promoted” to make his Major League debut on Saturday.

An image collage containing 2 images, Image 1 shows Washington Nationals' bat dog, Bruce, retrieves a bat before a game against the Miami Marlins at Nationals Park on June 14, 2025, Image 2 shows ...

The dog days of summer arrived Saturday at Nationals Park. Bruce, a 21-month-old golden retriever, fetched a bat during a ceremony Saturday before the Washington Nationals' 4-3 loss to the Miami ...