WASHINGTON – One day after the start of Major League Baseball’s 2017 season, the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council (NHDSC) published its predictions on consumption of the fan-favorite foods and highlighted some of the more noteworthy additions to the rosters of concession menus around the country.  NHDSC estimated that approximately 19 million hot dogs and 4.1 million sausages will be consumed by baseball fans during this year’s season.

As in previous years, fans at Dodger Stadium are expected to lead off the list of stadiums where the most hot dogs are consumed, with an estimated 2.5 million in 2017. According to NHDSC, 68 percent of fans attending the Dodgers 82 home games will eat a hot dog. Fans of the Texas Rangers are expected to claim the No. 2 position, where fans are expected to gobble up 17 percent more hot dogs (1.4 million) than they did last year at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Cleveland Indian fans, meanwhile, will likely assume the third-highest position with 1.08 million hot dogs consumed, followed by the 2016 World Champion Chicago Cubs, whose fans are expected to eat 1 million hot dogs at Wrigley Field.   

“Year after year, hot dogs continue to hit it out of the park at the concession stand,” said Eric Mittenthal, NHDSC president. “As teams innovate to offer more food choices and inventive creations, one thing is certain: hot dogs and baseball are inseparable.”

The San Francisco Giants, whose fans celebrated their team’s opening day on April 2, are on pace to again lead the majors in sausage consumption in 2017 with unit sales topping 475,000, followed by the St. Louis Cardinals at 419,000 sausages. The Boston Red Sox are expected to be in third place at about 328,000 sausages consumed in 2017.

Innovative takes on the traditional hot dog are alive and well in 2017 as well as major league teams supporting  local companies’ offerings at their state’s ballpark, including Happy Dog (Cleveland), Fletchers hot dogs and Hempler’s sausage (Seattle) and Ben’s Chili Bowl and Haute Dogs and Fries (Washington, DC).

Menu newcomers include the Kansas City Royals’ Sunrise Dog, which is topped with bacon, cheddar, fried egg and sausage gravy; Texas Rangers’ M.V.T. Dog, which is a tamale filled with a 24-inch hot dog served with chili and nacho cheese on top; and Harry the K’s Pastrami Sausage, being served up for Philadelphia Phillies fans, which is a pastrami sausage covered with bacon, red cabbage and tarragon mustard.