CLEVELAND — Dating back to its inception in 2005, the Cleveland Guardians' Hot Dog Derby has been plenty competitive.
But in 2023, Mustard, Ketchup and Onion are upping the ante.
One day before their first race of the 2023 season the Guardians' home opener on Friday, the Hot Dogs' took to their official Twitter account to unveil a new championship belt that will be used during the upcoming campaign. According to the tweet, the belt will be awarded to the winner of each race -- which takes place at the end of the fifth inning of each Guardians home game -- with the recipient holding the title until the following race.
The gold-plated pro wrestling-style belt includes silver emblems of the Guardians of Transportation statues, the Guardians' 'C' logo, the dogs themselves, and of course, hot dogs.
The Guardians' Hot Dog Derby received national attention during the 2022 season, thanks to Mustard's historic losing streak. The yellow-colored condiment was held winless through the first 75 races of the 2022 campaign, which resulted in the mascot being optioned to the Lake County Captains and prompted an investigation by 3News' Austin Love.
On August 19, Mustard appeared to win its first race of the year -- only to have the victory overturned by replay. But on October 1 -- one of the final days of the regular season -- Mustard was finally victorious, besting Ketchup and Onion for the first time all year.
Which Hot Dog will win the first-ever championship title and will it mark the start of another epic losing streak? We'll find out later today. Until then, here's everything you need to know about the Guardians' 2023 home opener at Progressive Field.