The household that educated Ripken The Bat Canine — greatest identified for fetching bats and soccer kicking tees throughout sporting occasions in North Carolina — says the black Labrador has died.
In a Fb put up Friday, the O’Donnell household mentioned Ripken died Wednesday on account of problems “from a serious undiagnosed medical condition.”
The 8-year-old Ripken’s historical past within the highlight included retrieving bats for Durham Bulls minor-league baseball video games and kicking tees throughout NC State faculty soccer video games at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh.
Ripken participated in a ceremonial puck drop for the NHL Stadium Sequence out of doors recreation between the Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals in 2023 at Carter-Finley.
His final look was retrieving a kicking tee throughout a Dec. 22 dwelling recreation for the NFL’s Carolina Panthers in Charlotte.
The O’Donnell household wrote that Ripken “was happiest when he was surrounded by people and making friends (and maybe eating a hot dog or two).”
The Bulls, the triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays, NC State and the Panthers all honored Ripken in social-media posts Friday.
The Bulls wrote Ripken “put smiles on so many adoring fans’ faces,” whereas NC State thanked Ripken “for bringing so much joy to Wolfpack Nation.”
