Mick Abel and Michael Mercado, catch partners and dog lovers, get major-league opportunities

PHILADELPHIA — Mick Abel would often toss a baseball back and forth with Michael Mercado in the left-field grass at Coca-Cola Park and wait for his chance to pet the husky that awaited them down the foul line.

Scherzer, the dog of IronPigs director of field operations Andy Gossel and his family, is an honorary member of the grounds crew in Allentown, Pa. Cheekily named after future Hall of Fame starter Max Scherzer, who has an eye condition called heterochromia, Scherzer the Dog’s left eye is brown and his right eye is blue. He’s beloved around the organization at Lehigh Valley and very popular with the players.

But Abel and Mercado became especially tight with the canine.

“I’d always be on the line or looking at the line, and I’d be like, ‘Look at that dog. There he is,'” Abel said on Wednesday. “And then we’d always finish up with catch play and just go right to him.”

The two pitchers have also formed a relationship with each other over the last two seasons, bonding as catch partners and dog lovers at Triple-A. They’ve both experienced ups and downs on the mound. But after Mercado was recalled by the Phillies this week to bolster the bullpen, they are in the major leagues together for the first time, with lockers next to one another in the clubhouse at Citizens Bank Park.

Abel, 23, and Mercado, 26, met after Mercado was traded to Philadelphia by the Rays before last season. They hit it off fairly quickly and started the year as members of the Lehigh Valley rotation.

“He was somebody that I feel like had kind of a similar personality to me, and so I kind of gravitated towards him,” Mercado said of Abel. “He’s younger, but he’s very mature. He’s a great teammate. He has a bunch of qualities that you really want in a teammate, but also a friend.”

The pair began playing catch together in between games, soon noticing that Scherzer would often be nearby. The Gossels would walk him onto the field on a leash, and Abel and Mercado would go play with him after their work was done. It became part of the routine.

“It’s cool having a dog like that around,” Mercado said. “He’s a great dog, and seeing him around and how happy he is all the time, it’s really cool.”

“I think everybody loves dogs,” Abel said. “If you don’t, it’s kind of nuts. But it’s just one of those things that keeps the fun going when you’re out there. When it does get monotonous, you always got a little bright spot.”

Abel struggled in Triple-A last season, but he turned his career around with a strong start to 2025 in the minors. He earned a chance to pitch in the Phillies’ rotation, and he’s impressed with a 2.35 ERA through three starts.

Mercado was a swingman in 2024 and appeared in five big-league games, pitching well in his first two outings and blowing up after that. He converted to a full-time reliever this year, and the overall results have not been too outstanding. However, he did rip off a nice stretch in his last eight minor-league appearances, allowing only three runs in 13 innings.

With Mercado throwing the ball better and the Phillies in need of a fresh arm, the club sent the right-hander to Philadelphia and designated Carlos Hernández for assignment on Wednesday. Mercado never told Abel that he was getting called back up to the big leagues, so the rookie starter was treated to a pleasant surprise when he saw his friend that morning.

“He deserves it,” Abel said of Mercado’s promotion.

Mercado pitched on Wednesday, taking down the ninth inning of a 7-2 Phillies win over the Cubs. He helped preserve a thin bullpen that has been taxed of late. It’s unclear how long he’ll last in the big leagues this time around, as the team has rotated through different options in that spot in recent weeks. Scoreless outings like Wednesday’s won’t hurt his case, though.

For now, Mercado is up in the majors with Abel, who seems to have some runway due to Aaron Nola’s extended stay on the injured list. That’s something special they can share, even if Scherzer isn’t there to enjoy it with them.

“I think that’s super important,” Mercado said of the connections teammates can make. “I think it makes the baseball part a little easier. It makes it less stressful, makes it more fun. I think when you’re on a team with a bunch of guys that you enjoy being around, it’s just a better playing environment. And I think that’s something that the Phillies do a great job of.”