Bark at the park? Try hound on the mound

When the Buffalo Bisons, Triple-A affiliate of the Blue Jays, needed a place to call home while the Jays used Sahlen Field for a season-plus because of the COVID-19 pandemic, they found that home at the Trenton Thunder's ballpark.

Trenton's club is one of the first MLB Draft League teams, and now that everyone's back to their respective home parks -- the Jays at Rogers Centre, the Bisons at Sahlen Field and the Thunder at Trenton Thunder Ballpark -- it was time to promote Trenton's "bat dog," Rookie, to Triple-A ... at least for a day.

On Wednesday, the Thunder sent Rookie to Sahlen Field to be Buffalo's mascot for its game against Lehigh Valley. Little did anyone know, Rookie wanted to pitch.

In the bottom of the first inning of the Bisons' 3-0 loss, Rookie bolted out of the home dugout and headed for the pitcher's mound. He stopped there momentarily, as if to signal that he was coming in out of the bullpen for Lehigh Valley starter Colton Eastman. Rookie even turned back toward the dugout to get some help in taking the baseball.

Alas, the dog didn't get the chance to live out his dream -- he was summoned back to the Bisons' dugout. Being the good dog that he is, he obediently returned.

But don't lose hope, dog-lovers -- hey, if "Air Bud" could do it, why not Rookie?