Next Time You Have Ball Park Hot Dogs At A Cookout You Can Thank This MLB Team

Hot dogs are as American as baseball. The two seem to be so interconnected that there is even a link between baseball team wins and hot dog sales. When it comes to one popular hot dog brand, the connection between those two patriotic favorites is particularly strong. If it wasn't for the Tigers, Detroit's Major League Baseball team, you probably wouldn't find Ball Park Franks on grocery store shelves and certainly wouldn't be having them at your next cookout. 

Detroit's Tiger Stadium is the official birthplace of these dogs, although the Tigers now play at Comerica Park, which replaced their former home in 2000. In 1957, a Detroit company known as Hygrade Food Products Corp. created these franks specifically for its local major league team, the Detroit Tigers. And they were an instant hit with fans. So much so that the hot dogs were dubbed Ball Park Franks after the place that made them famous. It was just a short two years later in 1959 that the demand for these now famous hot dogs had grown enough to start selling them in Detroit grocery stores, and within a decade they could be found in stores nationwide. 

Ball Park Franks may have been introduced at Tiger Stadium, but they have definitely taken on a life of their own with massive sales across the country ($222 million in 2024 alone, per The Detroit Jewish Times). So, when Memorial Day swings around, you can give thanks to the Detroit Tigers along with our troops while you celebrate the holiday.

Today, Ball Park Franks are just one of many hot dog brands you'll find on grocery store shelves, some of which are the signature dogs of other MLB teams. The Los Angeles Dodgers have famously been hawking their Dodger Dogs at home games since 1958, and although they have switched from being produced by Farmer John to a local provider, Papa Cantella's, they remain as popular as ever. So popular, in fact, that like Ball Park Franks, you can buy Dodger Dogs in grocery stores. But unlike the Ball Park brand, which you can find nationwide, you'll have to travel to Southern California to find them. 

Similarly, Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, has its own signature dog that has made its way into local grocery stores and some online retailers so you can recreate the flavors and aromas of an MLB game at your cookout. Kayem Food Company has been the official supplier of Fenway Franks for the park since 1958, and like Ball Park Franks and Dodger Dogs, their popularity is undeniable, having made their way into local grocery stores and some online retailers.

Regardless of which brand you favor, you've got plenty of choices for how to style your hot dog, Ball Park or otherwise. But if you do go for the Tiger's official frank, you might want to make it the traditional Detroit way. The signature Detroit hot dog is a Coney dog, short for the iconic Coney Island hot dog, and it's covered in chili, raw onions, and mustard — and definitely no ketchup.