Royals ‘Bark at the Park’ night features play-by-play broadcaster’s plush best friend

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - The Kansas City Royals welcomed hundreds of dogs to Kauffman Stadium on Tuesday night as part of the club’s second ‘Bark At the Park” night of the season.

While plenty of dogs were in the stands, another -- “Dexter the Dog” -- was in the press box. He’s the plush best friend of Royals play-by-play radio broadcaster Denny Matthews.

“Dexter’s in the booth broadcasting on the K-9 Network,” Matthews told listeners Tuesday evening prior to the game.

Matthews’ stuffed animal dog Dexter was outfitted with all the tools Denny uses to call the games, including his own radio headset.

“I look at it and it’s kind of scary, but it’s almost identical,” Matthews told KCTV. “He’s got a monitor, he’s got a cellphone, he’s got all the Royals notes.”

Dexter is the work of Denny’s executive assistant.

Five years ago, Matthews rescued Dexter from the closeout bin of a store in Arizona.

“I could just tell he was saying, ‘Will you get me out of here? I don’t care where you’re from or where you’re going,’” Matthews said.

Now, Dexter’s taken on a life of his own.

Matthews says the stuffed animal dog friend fills a hole in his life.

“I’ve never had a dog because (when) I go on a road trip -- what are you going to do with it?” said Matthews, who has called Royals games on the radio since the franchise’s inception. “Never had a dog until Dexter.”

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