French Bulldog’s First Pitch Goes Adorably Awry

I'm a big fan of the high-pressure situation that is the ceremonial first pitch, and I've never seen one go as adorably awry as the one that came before Monday night's Cincinnati Reds and Miami Marlins game in Cincinnati.

Monday was a Bark in the Park night at Great American Ball Park, which, as the name implies, invites fans to bring their dogs to the game.

So, it was only fitting that one pooch was given the honor of retrieving the first pitch and that honor went to a very cute French bulldog.

But here's the thing: speaking from experience, this French bulldog was one of the Frenchiest Frenchies to ever Frenchie.

What a moment. That dog is just out there having a moment out on the mound like it's Lizzo, just without the obnoxiousness.

Like I said, as soon as I saw a li'l Frenchie sitting on the rubber I had a feeling I knew what was coming.

That's because I've had a yellow lab and German shepherd and they both understood the finer points of fetching. These days, I've got a French bulldog (and better yet, my fiancée had already purchased him before we met!) games of fetch are always played by his rules. Every game of fetch I've ever played with him ends exactly that same way. 

Frenchies have a reputation for stubbornness and playing by their own rules. My dog, Carl, might be good for one retrieval, or two on a good day, but then he starts doing the keep-away move or runs and hides in the kitchen or office to keep his toy for himself.

If he had a stadium's worth of people and a grounds crew to run around and showboat for, I bet he'd do it.

But let's be honest, that first pitch was way better because it went sideways rather than having a dog just going out there and scooping up the tennis ball with no issues.

If that's what you're into, you can see that all day long at most dog parks for free.