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

Michael Mercado (left) and Mick Abel (right) with Scherzer the Dog. (Courtesy of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs)
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