Quick-thinking Royals minor-leaguer catches runaway dog at Bark at the Park

Shortstop Nicky Lopez had quite a game Wednesday for Northwest Arkansas in an 8-6 win at Tulsa.

Lopez went 4 for 4, drew a walk, scored twice, knocked in a run and helped capture a runaway dog on the field.

It was Bark at the Park night for the Drillers, and a few fans brought their pooches down on the field while the Naturals, the Royals' Class AA affiliate, were warming up in the bottom of an inning. That's when a German shepherd noticed the Northwest Arkansas infielders were playing with a ball.

A BALL!

The dog broke free from its owner and tried to get the ball, because, you know, it's a ball. Here is a different angle than the video above:

That was quick thinking by Lopez to throw the ball toward the foul line, where someone could have grabbed the dog. But instead, the dog brought the ball back to Lopez, who then grabbed the leash.

Lopez is a dog lover, it seems.

Lopez, who was rated at the Royals' No. 6 prospect by MLB.com, is having a great season. He's batting .332 with 31 walks and 21 strikeouts in 64 games.

This story was originally published June 14, 2018 at 8:14 AM with the headline "Quick-thinking Royals minor-leaguer catches runaway dog at Bark at the Park."