The 20 greatest in-game traditions in MLB

"Take Me Out to the Ballgame" has become a baseball staple from Major League Baseball to your local Little League. A tradition in the middle of the seventh inning and a song that just about anybody should be able to recite on command. However, no big-league yard does it better than Chicago's historic Wrigley Field. Legendary broadcaster turned the singing of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" into an experience while calling games for the Chicago White Sox, starting in 1976, and took it to a new level when he moved to the North Side of Chicago in 1982. Since Caray's passing before the 1998 season, the Cubs have often used guest conductors to sing the classic tune. Some, of course, better than others (Mike Ditka and Ozzy Osbourne delivered two of the most memorable worst efforts).

More from the Cubs and Wrigley. In addition to the tradition of "Take Me Out to The Ballgame," every Chicago home victory is celebrated with a postgame playing of "Go, Cubs, Go." The track was recorded and released in 1984 by die-hard Cubs fan and underrated singer-songwriter Steve Goodman, who died of leukemia late during the team's run to the NL East title that season. Goodman's memory and legacy certainly live on through his favorite ball club.

The classic Neil Diamond gem can be heard at a number of sporting venues, but it has been a regular sing-along moment during the middle of the eighth inning at Boston Red Sox home games since the early 2000s. In fact, it's become an anticipated moment in each game at Fenway, especially for those who have tipped back more than a few through the first 7 1/2 innings.

Frank Sinatra's beloved performance of this classic, "Theme from New York, New York," had long been heard at Yankee Stadium regardless of the game's outcome. However, before the 2025 season, the Yankees announced it will no longer be played after a loss, only following a home team win in the Bronx. Anyway, it's still a special moment for Yankees fans and downright annoying for opponent supporters watching from the big ballpark in the Bronx. 

Also known as "Roll Out the Barrel," this famed polka has been a staple in the state of Wisconsin. Whether in professional or collegiate sports, the "Beer Barrel Polka" can often be heard in a state that celebrates beer and cheese more than any other. However, it's a spectacle at Milwaukee Brewers' game s, where the tune is sung during the seventh inning of home games after the more traditional "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," with beloved mascot Bernie Brewer leading the way.

Speaking of Bernie Brewer, many Milwaukee fans, and throughout MLB, will claim he is the best mascot in the game. Obviously, that's debatable, but all baseball fans should have a chance to catch Bernie in action. Like when a Milwaukee player hits a homer at home, Bernie will follow by taking a trip down his winding slide, located in left field and complete with his own chalet, to celebrate the long ball.

Staying on the topic of mascots -- or at least an offshoot of one. In Kansas City, there is "Pasquatch," which is not only the nickname of popular Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino, but a character, or sort of, who pays homage to said player. Whenever Pasquantino reaches base during a 2025 home game, a person dressed like Sasquatch emerges from a door beyond the center field wall and prances around in celebration.

The famous Phillie Phanatic is the king of MLB mascots. At least in the present day. All others should bow. The antics of the Phanatic during Philadelphia Phillies home games is still one of the greatest spectacles in sports. A fan attending a Phillies home game can only hope they come into contact with the legendary Phanatic.

One of the most endearing aspects of the old Comiskey Park, home of the White Sox, on Chicago's South Side, was the shower located in the bleachers for fans to cool off on a hot game day. Well, the shower, courtesy of eccentric owner Bill Veeck, was preserved and installed when the new ballpark opened in the early 1990s. Today, the original shower for Comiskey can be found on the concourse near Section 161 of Rate Field for fans of all ages to enjoy responsibly.

Still, one of the coolest amenities at any major-league ballpark is the pool suite at Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Sure, it costs a pretty penny to rent the "Presidential Pool Suite" and lounge in and out of the water while the Diamondbacks game is happening in front of you, but the experience seems second to none. For those fortunate to take in a game from the pool suite, just be careful for a home run splashdown.

While on the topic of water, the live stingrays that swam around a touch tank at Tropicana Field should have been a highlight for any baseball fan when taking in a Tampa Bay Rays game. Thankfully, the rays were saved when "The Trop" endured severe damage from Hurricane Milton, which forced the team to relocate to the New York Yankees' spring training facility, in Tampa, for the 2025 season. When the Rays are resettled into their permanent home, again, we assume the stingrays will be there, too.

We highlighted Bernie Brewer's slide in celebration of a Milwaukee home run, but the New York Mets' home recognition of the long ball from the club at Citi Field is subtly just as special, especially to Mets fans. The motorized "Home Run Apple" dates back to the team's Shea Stadium days and rises from behind the center field fence whenever a Met hits a home run. The original "Home Run Apple" from Shea now sits outside of Citi Field.

The famed Houston Astros' home run train, which rides on a rail over the  upper left field wall at the recently renamed Daikin Park for 2025, has received a new look. During pregame introductions and any time an Astros player goes deep, the train, which now holds a batch of Styrofoam baseballs, chugs down the rail. The train, run by conductor Bobby Dynamite, has also been refurbished with a new coat of paint for the '25 campaign.

In addition to the "New York, New York" tradition, the time-honored roll call from the "Bleacher Creatures" in the right-field seats at Yankee Stadium is one of the great fan moments in all of Major League Baseball. Among the various antics from the "Bleacher Creatures, is the collective chant at each Yankee position player to open each game -- known as the "Roll Call," which reportedly began in the late 1990s. Said fans aren't satisfied until each player reacts in his own unique way. 

We're now at the on-field racing portion of our list. Since July 21, 2006, the Washington Nationals have hosted the Presidents Race, held in the middle of the fourth inning. It features humans in mascot-like costumes depicting former U.S. presidents George Washington,  Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, and  Theodore Roosevelt. William Howard Taft, Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover have also been represented in a race that begins in center field, over to the right corner and down the warning track in foul territory.

It seems just about every MLB ballpark has some type of mascot race. However, one of the more creative can be found at the home of the Seattle Mariners. In 2024, the Mariners unveiled the Salmon Run, featuring mascot-like varieties of salmon going by the names of King, Sockeye, Silver and Humpy. It only makes sense for the area and has the makings of a long-lasting, enjoyable ballpark tradition.

Encased meats make for popular MLB on-field mascot racing competitors, but the Pittsburgh Pirates got truly creative when it decided to go with a race of one of the city's favorite foods. Born in the late 1990s, the Pierogi Race originated as an animated competition on the video board at Three Rivers Stadium. Over time, the traditional mascot-like costumes donned by humans hit the field. As many as seven contestants -- Potato Pete, Jalapeño Hannah, Cheese Chester, Sauerkraut Saul, Oliver Onion, Bacon  Burt and Pizza Penny -- haven taken part in this fan-favorite competition over the years.

Before there were racing presidents, pierogies, hot dogs, and salmon, there were Milwaukee's Famous Racing Sausages. Since its inception in the early 1990s, when there were three competitors, bratwurst, Polish sausage (kielbasa), and Italian sausage (before chorizo and the hot dog joined the fun), they have become a part of pop culture that has transcended the Milwaukee Brewers and Major League Baseball. It can be argued that the middle of the sixth inning of each Brewers game is the highlight of every such contest. 

OK, technically this is a pre-game tradition, but it's too special not to mention. Since 1920, Cincinnati has celebrated its baseball teams with an Opening Day parade. Beginning with the Red Stockings, baseball's first professional team, but a form of parade and fan celebration revolving around the city's club predated the official celebration fans know of today. Known currently as the Findlay Market Opening Day Parade (which usually has a former Cincinnati Reds player serving as grand marshal), an estimated 130,000 folks reportedly attended the 2024 event.

Not all MLB traditions need to be ongoing. Take the case of Cleveland's famed fan drummer. Then 21-year-old John Adams first brought his drum to a Cleveland game on Aug 24, 1973, plopped down in the bleachers of Municipal Stadium and banged away until the end of the 2019 season. Adams, who only missed a handful of games between that time, endured the COVID-19 pandemic and deteriorating health before his 2023 death. The bleachers at Cleveland's Progressive Field are named after Adams, while his drum is on display in Cooperstown.