It’s a marriage of two American icons — baseball and hot dogs — and the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council (NHDSC) estimates that baseball fans will consume more than 19 million hot dogs and 4.6 million sausages during the 2018 Major League Baseball (MLB) season. The combined hot dog and 
sausage total could stretch the entire continental U.S. from Safeco Field in Seattle, Washington, to SunTrust Park in Atlanta, Georgia. The hot dog total alone would reach as high as 5,332 One World Trade Centers, the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere and sixth tallest in the world.
“In a love affair that’s spanned decades, baseball and hot dogs remain inseparable,” said NHDSC President Eric Mittenthal. “Year after year, hot dogs continue to hit it out of the park at the concession stand, even as teams innovate to offer more food choices and inventive creations. There’s simply no replacing the unshakable bond baseball and hot dogs share.”
The Los Angeles Dodgers may have fallen just short of winning last year’s World Series, but the team can relish in a more important victory: fans are once again projected to consume the most hot dogs, totaling more than three million. That is enough to round the bases at Dodger Stadium 5,952 times, and based on last year’s attendance, means that nearly 80 percent of fans at Dodger home games will eat a hot dog.
In a surprise upset, the Colorado Rockies threw a curveball to tie the Texas Rangers for second place, as fans of both teams are expected to consume more than 1.2 million hot dogs. This is fueled by predictions that Rockies fans will increase hot dog consumption by 140 percent compared to 2017. They are followed closely behind by 2016 World Series champions Chicago Cubs with one million anticipated hot dog sales. The Cleveland Indians and St. Louis Cardinals round out the lineup of top hitters, with fans expected to consume more than 1,080,000 and 959,720 hot dogs, respectively.
The San Francisco Giants defend their title as MLB sausage champions, with 475,000 expected sales. Giants fans are so passionate about the team’s sausages, that they petitioned to bring back a popular Pineapple sausage this season. The St. Louis Cardinals once again stepped up to the plate to clinch second place with fans expected to consume 419,356 sausages. The Chicago Cubs, meanwhile, knocked the Boston Red Sox out of third place, with Cubs Fans expected to consume 400,000 sausages this year.
The Milwaukee Brewers have maintained their position as the only team in baseball that is expected to sell more sausages than hot dogs, enough to trace the path of their world-famous Sausage Race nearly 370 times.
While there’s no shortage of ways to enjoy hot dogs, our survey finds a growing trend among teams to offer fans hot dog deals throughout the season. Every Tuesday, for example, Tampa Bay Rays fans can partake in $2 dog night at Tropicana Field. The Washington Nationals are offering one value day per month, during which hot dogs will be discounted, and White Sox fans can enjoy $1 hot dogs during Wednesday home games. The Phillies and Indians have also announced “Dollar Dog Nights,” as part of both teams’ promotions this season.
New Offerings to be Included in Updated MLB Hot Dog and Sausage Guide
While perennial hot dog favorites remain staples at ballparks across America, teams are introducing new creations that are sure to be all-stars. The NHDSC has maintained a MLB Hot Dog and Sausage Guide, which features photos and descriptions of the most unique hot dog and sausage offerings at all 30 MLB stadiums, along with a sampling of classic favorites. The NHDSC will be updating the guide to reflect this year’s newcomers, so fans can savor all the choices available to them in one, convenient location.
Some of the top 2018 MLB rookies include:
- Dilly Dog: Rangers fans will be treated to this new creation: a dill pickle that is cored out and stuffed with an angus beef jumbo dog, that’s then battered and fried to a golden brown.
- The Spec-Tater: The Braves developed a potato and hot dog creation sure to please. It’s a potato stuffed with a jalapeño-cheddar sausage and wrapped in bacon, and then topped with cheese, cream, scallions and more jalapeno.
- An Ode to Detroit Dog: Tigers fans can indulge in this natural-casing hot dog smothered in brisket chili and drizzled with habanero queso sauce.
- Asada Dog: Diamondback fans should come prepared to tackle this 18-inch Schreiner’s hot dog nestled in a telera roll with fries, queso blanco, carne asada, pico de gallo and guacamole.
- Triple Play Dog: Fueling the Rockies impressive projected hot dog sales is this extreme dog topped with Carolina style pulled pork, crumbled bacon bits and purple slaw.
- Pittsburgh Paella: Pirates fans should come hungry to feast on this 3-foot pan that features housemade kielbasa and traditional pierogis.
- Teflon Don: Royals fans can relish in this hot dog topped with yellow mustard, Don Carlo’s slow roasted chili, jalapenos, chopped onion and parsley.
- Bacon Fried Doggy: To be frank, there’s nothing better than hot dogs and bacon. Rays fans are in luck with this deep-fried, bacon-wrapped hot dog topped with caramelized onions.
For more on annual consumption data, and hot dog and sausage facts and culture, visit www.hot-dog.org.