Yankees affiliate wearing dog jerseys to celebrate beloved bat dog

At Trenton Thunder games, you don’t just enjoy a hot dog and a beer. You also enjoy a bat dog and a beer. The New York Yankees Double-A affiliate has used canines in lieu of bat boys for years now.

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Since 2008, that role has been filled mainly by Derby, the son of the team’s former bat dog Chase. On Monday, the Thunder will honor Derby by wearing jerseys with his face on them. It’s pretty adorable, if you ask us.

As that tweet states, the Thunder will also allow fans to bring their dogs to the game. They’ve done that in the past, but we think this is the first time the team has ever dedicated a jersey to a bat dog. If we’re wrong about that, we’ll be pleasantly surprised. And we’ll also be a few bucks lighter after scouring eBay for a new minor-league jersey.

You’re probably well aware of what a bat dog does. The job is pretty self explanatory. But in case you still had questions, here’s a refresher video that should get you familiar with Derby’s job. You’re not going to complain about a dog video, are you?

As we mentioned above, Derby is the son of the Thunder’s former bat dog, Chase. The family connection actually goes a little deeper than that, though. One of Derby’s pups, Rookie, has also been trained as a bat dog for the Thunder. Derby’s brother, Ollie, filled the same role for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats before retiring in 2016.

Altogether, they are the first dog family of the minor leagues. The Boones can have the majors, as far as we’re concerned.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik