He may have returned it slightly slobbery, but Willie Bean — the 7-year-old golden Labrador retriever campaigning to be the mayor of Fairhope — caught the ceremonial first pitch at the BayBears game Saturday.

“We’ve been practicing and I’ve been throwing a speed ball and he ducks,” Tress Turner, Willie Bean’s owner, joked before the start of the game.

But the popular dog showed no signs of hesitation when he caught the ball just after 7 p.m. at Hank Aaron Stadium in Mobile. He leapt from the pitcher’s mound to catch a baseball thrown by team member Rusty Ryal at home plate. Willie Bean grasped it confidently in his mouth, even running a small victory lap before returning the ball to Turner.

“He loves to catch,” Turner said. And the crowd clearly loved Willie Bean.

They erupted in applause when he caught the ball. Turner threw the ball to him one more time before calling him off the field, tugging him by a white Willie Bean campaign bandana around his neck.

Willie Bean’s campaign kicked off last month when Turner taped a picture of the yawning dog to an espresso machine at the Coffee Loft in Fairhope, which she manages. A customer, as a joke, scribbled “Willie Bean for Mayor” on the photo.

“It just took off from there,” Turner said.

Seven human candidates are running for the Aug. 26 election. None of them were given first-pitch honors.

Turner initially made 24 T-shirts for Willie Bean’s campaign; she said they sold in a day. Willie Bean has received letters from international fans and was a topic on the “Late Show with David Letterman.” A Willie Bean Web site has been launched — www.williebeanformayor.com — and scores of campaign souvenirs have been sold, many at Saturday’s game.

Even though Willie Bean has no chance at winning the mayoral seat, people were eager to buy T-shirts, campaign signs and cartoon sketches of the dog.

Part of the proceeds, Turner said, will benefit the Baldwin Animal Rescue Center. Also, people who want to cast a “vote” for Willie Bean on his Web site must donate a $1 to the shelter.

“We’re hoping he gets more (online) votes than the population of Fairhope,” Turner said.

Willie Bean actually caught the second “first pitch” of the evening. Former Monroeville Mayor Ann Farish tossed a throw from the pitcher’s mound to the catcher.

“We’re just real excited about this because this game promotes Willie Bean more in Mobile,” Turner said. “This is doing a good, good thing.”