Cleveland Guardians Demote Mustard After Going Winless in Hot Dog Races

Less than a week after former El Paso Chihuahuas slugger Franmil Reyes was designated for assignment, the Cleveland Guardians made another shocking move. This time, it involved one of their iconic mascots involved in the team's Hot Dog Race. Mustard was sent to the team's High-A affiliate due to its current winless streak in the race which has now reached 50. The club even issued a press release this morning explaining the move.

The Guardians are currently in second place in the AL Central Division and just one game back of Minnesota for the top spot. They have also won two straight and are poised to make a run for the postseason. All that being said, it is hilarious that the team took a page from every Minor League promotions handbook to have a little fun with one of its popular mascots. As you would expect, Mustard issued its own statement and even posted a video of its reaction to the news.

I was not aware until this morning that the Guardians have their own verified twitter handle for their Hot Dog Race. The Lake County Captains were quick to welcome Mustard to their team and in a corresponding move, they tweeted out a link for tickets to tomorrow night's game.

As a hot dog fan, my personal preference has always been mustard, relish, and onions. Maybe it's because I originally came from New York where my dad grew up eating Nathan's hot dogs with mustard and sour kraut. It seems almost un-American that ketchup and onions would each win 25 races this season while mustard failed to finish first even once.

We learned today that the Cubs claimed Reyes off of waivers from the Guardians. The North Siders are hoping that Franmil can reclaim his power stroke that made him one of Cleveland's most feared hitters. The same can be said of Mustard, who hopes to make it a short stay in Lake County before returning to Progressive Field.