Phillies’ Dollar Dog Nights Are Dead After Fans Used Them As Projectiles Last Season

Dollar Dog Nights at Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park have gone the way of the dodo after last year's edition of the beloved promotion featured franks raining down on the stands.

The team announced that Dollar Dog Nights — which were held for 27 years — were done after fans realized that cheap hot dogs doubled as serviceable ammunition and started hucking them around the stadium when the Phillies lost to the Miami Marlins 8-4 on April 11, 2023… a date which will live in mustard and relish-covered infamy.

"Unfortunately we had fans throwing hot dogs, back and forth and we just can't have that," Phillies Senior Vice President Ticket Operations and Projects John Webber said per ABC 6. "It was not a good experience for our fans who came to the game last year. That's the bottom line, and our goal is to change that and make it a good experience for all our fans."

It's a real bummer because Dollar Dog Night didn't just provide dollar dogs. It provided memories that will last a lifetime. 

"My buddy ate 13 hot dogs and a guy five rows ahead of us turned around and he's like, 'Yo, go for 14.'" Phillies fan Christian McGovern told ABC 6. "So he threw one and we caught it and next thing you know people were throwing hot dogs from the second deck, the third deck, and it was all kind of raining down on us."

Jeez… is someone dicing onions in here? If that isn't a beautiful story of fans coming together to cram cheap hot dogs in their faces like a bunch of Philly Joey Chestnuts.

Phillies fans will have to pay a little more for specially-priced hotdogs starting this season. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Dollar Dog Nights May Be Gone In Philadelphia, But Affordable Wieners Are Sticking Around

Now, I like a deal, but I've got a bit of a problem with Dollar Dog Nights in general. When they're making hot dogs in such high numbers, the quality takes a dramatic dip. I've wound up with dogs that barely kissed the grill before getting popped in a bun.

But hey, cheap wieners are cheap wieners. 

Speaking of which, while Dollar Dog Nights are done, affordable dogs are not.

The Phils are introducing BOGO Dog Nights. Now, before you embarrass yourself by asking, "Wait, what the hell is a ‘BOGO Dog?" — something I’ve definitely never done more than a couple of times — it's a buy one, get one deal where buying one hot dog for $5 nets you a second, bonus hot dog.

Now, I'm no math wiz, but that means throwing down a Lincoln will only get you two dogs when for the nearly three decades on Dollar Dog night it would get you… carry the one… five of them.

Still, considering what concession prices are like, that's not a bad deal. They're still cheap, but not cheap enough that people think twice before they start throwing them at each other.