There are many Arizonians who back Diamondbacks pitcher Archie Bradley when he’s on the mound, but off? Well, turns out it’s the same story.
Bradley, a 25-year-old who made his MLB debut with the Diamondbacks in 2015, lost his “best friend,” his black lab, Crash, on Saturday night. But, with help from team personnel, fans and Twitter, the big-leaguer was reunited with his mutt on Sunday morning.
The Diamondbacks had just lost to the San Francisco Giants 7-0 and, according to ABC 15, the friends who were staying with Bradley asked if he brought Crash to the field since they had not seen the dog in hours.
Discovering Crash had escaped without his collar on sent Bradley into panic mode, so he posted to his more than 34,000 followers on Twitter, and put word out to Nextdoor so that folks in the area could keep their eyes peeled.
“I did not sleep very well. I’m not married, no kids yet, that’s like my boy. That’s my best friend. We sleep together every night. I picked him out right when he was born,” Bradley told reporters standing at his locker. “So literally, I’ve been with that guy since the day he was born. To imagine him out being on the streets somewhere — or worst-case scenario, maybe run over or something like that — it was not the greatest thoughts.”
The people of Arizona, however, worked their magic by spreading the news and, less than 24 hours later, someone found Crash completely unharmed.
Crash is back home! I can’t begin to thank everyone enough for all the support and help! He is my best friends and I will forever be in debt to everyone who helped me find him. Thank you Twitter and to everyone in Arizona! Wouldn’t want to be or play anywhere else! #winforCrash pic.twitter.com/BUmDCPGu4F
— Archie Bradley (@ArchieBradley7) July 1, 2018
“I’m gonna spoil the mess out of him,” Bradley said about his dog. “I don’t know what I’m going to buy him, but tomorrow we’re going to have a spa day.
“I have to thank you people out there, from Twitter to the news to the Nextdoor app. Arizona really came together, and I was able to find my dog in less than 24 hours. My heart’s happy.”
Social media combined with a community that cares? What powerful tools, right?