Sausage Race facts for kids
The Johnsonville Sausage Race, also known as the Famous Racing Sausages, is a fun race held during baseball games. It happens in the middle of the sixth inning at every home game of the Milwaukee Brewers. In this race, people dressed as giant sausages run around the baseball field. It started as a way to promote Klement's Sausage Company. Now, Johnsonville sausages are served at the stadium, American Family Field.
Contents
Meet the Racing Sausages
The race began in the early 1990s with three main characters. These were the bratwurst, the Polish sausage (kielbasa), and the Italian sausage. Over time, two more sausages joined the team. The hot dog was added in the mid-1990s. The chorizo joined the race in the mid-2000s.
Brewers team employees or stadium staff usually run the race. They wear big foam sausage costumes that are about 7 feet 3 inches (2.21 meters) tall. The runners start near the dugout and third base. They sprint along the warning track, go around home plate, and head towards first base. On Sunday afternoon games, the main sausages tag smaller versions of themselves. These are called the Little Weenies, and they finish the race.
The Racing Sausages are very popular. They often appear at local charity events. They even have an annual 5K run/walk to raise money for the Brewers Community Foundation. They also race against the Pittsburgh Pirates' mascots, the Racing Pierogies, twice a year. The sausages have also been featured in two funny commercials for ESPN's SportsCenter.
History of the Race
How the Race Started
The Famous Sausage Race first appeared as an animation on the scoreboard in the early 1990s. It showed the Bratwurst, Polish, and Italian sausages running towards Milwaukee County Stadium. In 1992, a graphic designer named Michael Dillon had an idea. He suggested making the race come to life on the field.
On June 27, 1993, something amazing happened. As the animated sausages ran on the scoreboard, the left field doors opened. Out came the giant sausage mascots, surprising everyone! The three sausages raced to home plate. Michael Dillon, wearing the Bratwurst costume, won the very first live race. For the rest of 1993, the live race only happened at games with many fans. In 1994, the live Sausage Race became a regular part of every home game.
At first, only the Bratwurst, Polish, and Italian sausages raced. The Hot Dog joined in the mid-1990s. In 2007, the Chorizo became the fifth sausage to race regularly.
The Randall Simon Incident
On July 9, 2003, Randall Simon, a player for the Pittsburgh Pirates, playfully tapped the Italian sausage costume with a baseball bat. The tap didn't hurt the person inside, Mandy Block, but it did make her fall. The Hot Dog also fell down. The Polish sausage helped the Italian sausage get back up, and all the sausages finished the race. Simon later apologized for the incident. Mandy Block thought it was funny and even asked for the bat to be autographed for her.
Fun Parodies
Other baseball teams have created their own funny versions of the Sausage Race. On October 1, 2008, when the Brewers played the Philadelphia Phillies, three fake sausages appeared. The Phillie Phanatic, the Phillies' mascot, then "attacked" them. Randall Simon, who used to play for the Phillies, was even invited back to hit the fake sausages with a plastic bat.
The Washington Nationals also made fun of the race. They called their version the "un-Racing Sausages." They used cardboard cutouts of the Brewers' sausages with funny names like "Un-talian sausage." This happened after the Brewers declined to have a special race with the Nationals' own mascots, the Presidents. Even a school in Illinois, Wescott Elementary, has students wear their own sausage costumes for a race!
The Chorizo Joins the Race
The Chorizo was added to the race in 2006. This was to celebrate the contributions of Latino players to baseball. It also recognized the growing number of Latino fans for the Brewers. The Chorizo ran its first race on July 29, 2006, during "Cerveceros Day." However, it didn't become a regular racer until the 2007 season. This was because of a rule that teams couldn't add new mascots in the middle of a season.
The Italian Sausage Goes Missing
In February 2013, news spread that the Italian sausage costume was missing! Police said someone wearing the costume was seen leaving a curling club. They visited several bars and took pictures with people before the costume disappeared. Rewards were offered for its return. The costume was finally dropped off at a bar on February 28 by two unknown men.
20th Anniversary Celebration
On June 27, 2013, the Brewers and Klement's sausage celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Sausage Race. There were special ceremonies before the game. Michael Dillon, who won the first live race, threw out the first pitch. The regular race in the sixth inning featured only the original three sausages: the bratwurst, Polish, and Italian. The hot dog and chorizo held the finish line tape.
LEGO Ideas - Famous Racing Sausages
In August 2024, a former Milwaukee resident, Todd Elliott, suggested an idea to LEGO. He wanted to turn the Famous Racing Sausages into a LEGO set. This idea needs 10,000 votes on the LEGO Ideas website to be considered by the LEGO Design team. As of August 2025, the idea has over 3500 votes. It has about a year left to reach 5,000 votes, which would give it more time to reach 10,000. Fans can vote for the idea online.
Famous People in the Race
Many famous people have raced as sausages. Baseball players like Mark Grace, Pat Meares, Geoff Jenkins, and Hideo Nomo have all worn the costumes. Some sports journalists have also raced. Javon Walker, a former football player for the Green Bay Packers, raced in 2004. Casey McGehee's son, Mack, even raced as a Little Weenie. Dan Patrick and his team from The Dan Patrick Show raced in 2013.
On February 24, 2014, a stray dog wandered into the Brewers' spring training camp. The team adopted him and named him Hank, after baseball legend Hank Aaron. Hank ran his first sausage race with the team on February 27, 2014. He became very popular and even has his own Twitter account. On August 20, 2021, TV host Stephen Colbert joined the race as the hot dog. He finished last as part of his "Milwaukee Apology Tour."
See also
- Mascot race
- Presidents Race
- Great Pierogi Race
