![Pierogie race august 2006](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6c/Pierogie_race_august_2006.jpg)
The Great Pittsburgh Pierogy Race N'at, commonly called the Great Pierogy Race, is an American
mascot race
A mascot race is a promotional sports entertainment or charity competition consisting of costumed runners racing around a baseball field or race course, usually as a form of between-innings entertainment. The racers are typically anthropomorphize ...
between innings during a
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
game that features seven contestants racing in giant
pierogi
Pierogi are filled dumplings made by wrapping unleavened dough around a savory or sweet filling and cooking in boiling water. They are often pan-fried before serving.
Pierogi or their varieties are associated with the cuisines of Central, Easter ...
costumes: Potato Pete (blue hat), Jalapeño Hannah (green hat), Cheese Chester (yellow hat), Sauerkraut Saul (red hat), the highly intelligent Oliver Onion (purple hat),
Bacon
Bacon is a type of salt-cured pork made from various cuts, typically the belly or less fatty parts of the back. It is eaten as a side dish (particularly in breakfasts), used as a central ingredient (e.g., the bacon, lettuce, and tomato sand ...
Burt (orange hat), and Pizza Penny (checkerboard red and white hat). However, in 2021 Pizza Penny and Potato Pete eloped and moved to Naples, Italy leaving only five Pierogis to race.
The pierogi travel once a year to
American Family Field
American Family Field is a retractable roof stadium used primarily for baseball. It is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, just southwest of the intersection of Interstate 94 and Brewers Boulevard. It is the home of Major League Baseball's Milwauk ...
to take on the
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...
'
racing sausages (the inspiration for the Pirates' version of the promotion) when the Pirates play the Brewers, as well as to
Nationals Park
Nationals Park is a baseball stadium
A ballpark, or baseball park, is a type of sports venue where baseball is played. The playing field is divided into the infield, an area whose dimensions are rigidly defined, and the outfield, where dimen ...
to take on the
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...
'
racing U.S. Presidents when the Pirates play the Nationals. Similarly, both the Brewers and Nationals bring their respective characters to
PNC Park
PNC Park is a baseball stadium on the North Shore (Pittsburgh), North Shore of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the fifth home of the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). It was opened during the 2001 Major League Baseball season, ...
when they play in
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
.
The pierogi are often introduced to the opening tune to
Run Like Hell
"Run Like Hell" is a song by the English progressive rock band Pink Floyd, written by David Gilmour and Roger Waters. It appears on the album ''The Wall''. It was released as a single in 1980, reaching #15 in the Canadian singles chart as well as ...
from the
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philo ...
album ''
The Wall
''The Wall'' is the eleventh studio album by the English progressive rock band Pink Floyd, released on 30 November 1979 by Harvest/EMI and Columbia/CBS Records. It is a rock opera that explores Pink, a jaded rock star whose eventual self-imp ...
'' and since 2019,
Sabotage
Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening a polity, effort, or organization through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. One who engages in sabotage is a ''saboteur''. Saboteurs typically try to conceal their identitie ...
by the
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys were an American rap rock group from New York City, formed in 1978. The group was composed of Mike D, Michael "Mike D" Diamond (vocals, drums), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (voca ...
and usually race in between the 5th and 6th innings.
The races are televised on AT&T SportsNet.
History
1999–2008
The promotion was created by Pirates Coordinator of In-Game Entertainment Eric Wolff in 1999 at
Three Rivers Stadium
Three Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1970 to 2000. It was home to the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL).
Built ...
, then the Pirates' home park, and at the time featured only three characters: Potato Pete, Sauerkraut Saul, and Cheese Chester. It quickly became a fan favorite, and beanbags in the likeness of the different characters are given to children at certain ballgames as a promotion. Jalapeño Hannah was added soon after the promotion began. A year or two after the Pirates moved to
PNC Park
PNC Park is a baseball stadium on the North Shore (Pittsburgh), North Shore of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the fifth home of the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). It was opened during the 2001 Major League Baseball season, ...
, Oliver Onion was added and Potato Pete dropped, though Potato Pete continued to make occasional appearances.
In previous years, the race mainly took place as an animated sequence on the video board, showing the pierogi running through different sections of
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
and an announcer speaking English to cover the race. The race culminated in the contestants running into the ballpark from right field, toward the visitors' dugout. Occasionally, the
Pirate Parrot
The Pirate Parrot is a costumed mascot of the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball. He was introduced in 1979 in response to the popularity of the Phillie Phanatic introduced one year earlier, as the Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies had ...
influenced the outcome of the race by distracting or knocking over contestants. A winner is determined and the leaderboard updated after the race. Often, a "humorous" disclaimer such as "No pierogies were harmed in the race" follows the leaderboard. A champion is crowned at the end of every season. At times, the Pirates will have faster runners wear costumes of pierogi that are behind in the races in order to keep the season-long competition "close", in effect making the races somewhat
fixed
Fixed may refer to:
* ''Fixed'' (EP), EP by Nine Inch Nails
* ''Fixed'', an upcoming 2D adult animated film directed by Genndy Tartakovsky
* Fixed (typeface), a collection of monospace bitmap fonts that is distributed with the X Window System
* ...
.
The event is sponsored by
Mrs. T's Pierogies
Mrs. T's Pierogies is a mass market brand of pierogies in the United States. It is a product of Ateeco, Inc. based in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania
Shenandoah is a borough in Schuylkill County in the Coal Region of Pennsylvania. It is distinct fro ...
.
2009–2013
![PresidentsRacePNCPark](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/PresidentsRacePNCPark.jpg)
The animated sequence was dropped completely at the beginning of the 2009 season. Now, the race begins near where the tarp is rolled up on the third-base side, and the pierogi race around the warning track until the Clemente Wall in right-field. The race has lost many of the occasions of the Pirate Parrot influencing the ending; the races are generally won by normal means, although strange incidents do occur.
In 2008 and 2009, the pierogi appeared twice at Washington D.C.'s
Nationals Park
Nationals Park is a baseball stadium
A ballpark, or baseball park, is a type of sports venue where baseball is played. The playing field is divided into the infield, an area whose dimensions are rigidly defined, and the outfield, where dimen ...
in the nightly
Presidents Race
The Presidents Race (known as the GEICO Presidents Race for sponsorship reasons) is a promotional event held at every Washington Nationals home game at Nationals Park, and previously at RFK Stadium, in the middle of the fourth inning of every game ...
. The first night in 2008, the four pierogi were chased by
President Teddy, wielding a large aluminum foil fork and knife. The second night the pierogi faced off with the presidents in a relay race. The relay race was repeated in 2009, with Potato Pete
TKO-ing Teddy Roosevelt with a flying tackle, which was replayed over and over on sport shows. The Presidents appeared again at PNC Park during the Pirates series against the Nationals in April 2011, racing against the pierogi.
In 2010, the Pirates fired one of the pierogi racers after he made critical comments of the team on
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
, a story that received national headlines.
Andrew Kurtz, 24, of
New Brighton, Pennsylvania
New Brighton is a borough in north-central Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States, located along the Beaver River northwest of Pittsburgh. The population was 5,719 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area.
Histor ...
, had criticized the team's decision to give then-manager
John Russell and Pirates GM
Neal Huntington
Neal Alden Huntington (born February 4, 1969) is the former General Manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball and currently works in the front office of the Cleveland Guardians.
Background
A native of Amherst, New Hampshire, Hunt ...
contract extensions in the midst of a 12-game losing streak. The Pirates later rehired Kurtz after the team discovered that his boss in charge of the race didn't follow proper disciplinary action within the organization. Russell himself would be fired after the Bucs finished a Major League–worst 57–105 record for
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
.
2014–present
Return of Potato Pete
During the race on July 23, 2014, where the Pirates were playing the
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
, Cheese Chester broke his foot while competing. Later on during the game the Pirates announced via their scoreboard that Cheese Chester was placed on the 15-day disabled list and Potato Pete would be making a return to take Chester's place for the time he'd miss due to the injury. The Pirates posted on their Twitter account a picture of Cheese Chester with crutches and confirmed it was indeed a broken foot and he would miss 6–8 weeks. It will be the first time that Potato Pete has competed in this event since the 2001 season; it will also mark the first appearance of Potato Pete at PNC Park since his encounter with Teddy Roosevelt in 2009 and his first appearance of any kind since 2012 when he confronted Teddy at Nationals Park.
During Potato Pete's return, he won 16 races in a row to tie the other pierogi, while Cheese Chester made a "rehab start" during the
Panera Bread
Panera Bread is an American chain store of bakery-café fast casual restaurants with over 2,000 locations, all of which are in the United States and Canada. Its headquarters are in Sunset Hills, Missouri.
The company operates as Saint Louis ...
Great American
Bagel
A bagel ( yi, בײגל, translit=beygl; pl, bajgiel; also spelled beigel) is a bread roll originating in the Jewish communities of Poland. It is traditionally shaped by hand into a roughly hand-sized ring from yeasted wheat dough that is first ...
Race during the August 28, 2014, game between the
Altoona Curve
The Altoona Curve are a Minor League Baseball team based in Altoona, Pennsylvania, named after nearby Horseshoe Curve (but also alluding to the curveball, a type of pitch). The team plays in the Eastern League and is the Double-A affiliate of the ...
(the Pirates Double-A affiliate) and the
Richmond Flying Squirrels
The Richmond Flying Squirrels are a Minor League Baseball team based in Richmond, Virginia. The team, which is a part of the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants major league club, and plays at The Diamond. Th ...
, competing against the bagels Blueberry Bob, Asiago Allie, and Cinnamon Crunch Cindy. (Coincidentally, Pirates pitcher
Charlie Morton was himself making a rehab start in the game.) It was considered the first "MLB Mascot Rehabilitation Assignment". Cheese Chester then spent the next two days confronting Potato Pete at PNC Park until the two agreed that whoever won a one-on-one race after the Pirates game against the
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...
on August 30, the winner would race with the rest of the pierogi the rest of the season while the loser would be out for the season. Cheese Chester won his spot back after Potato Pete
built a sizable lead but tripped after taunting Cheese Chester, allowing Cheese Chester to win the one-on-one race and return to the season-long competition.
For the 2015 season, all five pierogi started part of the Great Pierogy Race on a regular basis, although on April 18, 2015, Potato Pete was "locked" inside a freezer as punishment after he cheated again.
Introduction of new pierogi
During the Pirates first homestand of the 2015 season, the team hinted over the course of several days on its official
Instagram
Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
account that a new pierogy would be joining the Great Pierogy Race. After being interviewed by the Pirate Parrot and later ordered to race around PNC Park, the pierogy was introduced as Bacon Burt. In addition to his orange cap, Bacon Burt has a
moustache
A moustache (; en-US, mustache, ) is a strip of facial hair grown above the upper lip. Moustaches have been worn in various styles throughout history.
Etymology
The word "moustache" is French, and is derived from the Italian ''mustaccio'' ...
. Bacon Burt would win in his debut race April 19, 2015, coincidentally while the Pirates were hosting the Brewers, taking Potato Pete's spot.
Along with introducing their annual new food offerings at the concessions at PNC Park, the team introduced its second female pierogy, Pizza Penny, on March 30, 2017.
Virtual pierogy races
During the
2020 season, played without fans in the stands due to the ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, the Pirates announced a virtual fan experience on July 25, 2020, that allowed fans to interact with staple in-game activities via social media and the
MLB Ballpark app. During each home game, the team published a video of the race on the Ballpark app. All six pierogies from the previous season participated in the races, filmed at various locations near PNC Park, in rotating groups of four. The videos featured guest announcers from local radio and television stations, including
WPXI
WPXI (channel 11) is a television station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Cox Media Group. The station's offices and studios are located on Evergreen Road in the Summer Hill neighborhood of Pittsbur ...
,
KDKA-FM
KDKA-FM (93.7 MHz, "93.7 The Fan") is a commercial FM radio station licensed to serve Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc. through licensee Audacy License, LLC and broadcasts a sports radio format. Studios are located ...
, and
KDKA-TV
KDKA-TV (channel 2) is a television station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, airing programming from the CBS network. It is owned and operated by the network's CBS News and Stations division alongside Jeannette-licensed CW affil ...
.
The 2022 season saw Sarakraut Saul having zero wins.
See also
*
Sausage Race
*
Presidents Race
The Presidents Race (known as the GEICO Presidents Race for sponsorship reasons) is a promotional event held at every Washington Nationals home game at Nationals Park, and previously at RFK Stadium, in the middle of the fourth inning of every game ...
External links
Official websiteMrs. T's Pierogies
References
{{Pittsburgh Pirates
Major League Baseball competitions
Pittsburgh Pirates
Major League Baseball team mascots
Mascot racing in baseball