The Blue Jays got the best of the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1993 World Series and now fans north of the border can score another win over the Philly faithful.
That’s because the Phillies cancelled their popular Dollar Dog Nights promotion for this coming season while Loonie Hot Dogs will still be going strong at Rogers Centre in 2024.
When the Phillies announced their promotions for the 2024 season at Citizens Bank Ballpark, it was noted that the time-honoured tradition of Dollar Dog Night had been replaced by BOGO (buy one, get one) hot dog nights for two dates in April.
It also included a reference to incidents at past Dollar Dog Nights.
“This modification to the previous Hatfield Phillies Franks Dollar Dog Nights is based on the organization’s ongoing commitment to provide a positive experience for all fans in attendance,” the Phillies said.
While the team didn’t cite specific incidents, there were videos shared on social media of unruly fans throwing hot dogs during games last season and reports that concourses were so jammed that customers had to wait multiple innings in line, missing much of the game.
Phillies supporters were understandably upset with the promotion, which has been running since 1997, getting scrapped.
One irate fan posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) that the clogged lines wasn’t the fault of the fans.
“Nobody wants a BOGO hot dog night. We want a dollar dog night,” Kyle Pagan said in a ranting video.
“It’s bulls**t. It’s absolutely bulls**t. They’re blaming it on clogged concourses and people throwing hot dogs. You motherf***ers stopped taking cash! Now we’re swiping transactions, it’s taking two minutes to get every transaction through. Whose fault is this? It’s your fault! This is all your fault!”
Jays fans have no need to worry, though: Loonie Dogs Nights will be back for the 2024 season.
Last year, Jays fans wolfed down an astonishing 693,865 Loonie Dogs — a number that would surely make world champion hot dog eater Joey Chestnut proud.
The promotion will take place during every Tuesday night home game for the Blue Jays this season, with the first taking place on April 9 against the Seattle Mariners.
There are 13 Loonie Dogs Nights in total, with the final chance to top last year’s total coming on Sept, 24 against the Boston Red Sox.