Slugger once again nominated for the Hall of Fame
Portland, Maine- Portland Sea Dogs mascot, Slugger the Sea Dog, has been nominated for the Mascot Hall of Fame. This marks the third time that Slugger has been nominated, previously receiving nominations in 2019 and 2021. Fans can help Slugger get inducted by voting for him each day. Voting begins
Portland, Maine- Portland Sea Dogs mascot, Slugger the Sea Dog, has been nominated for the Mascot Hall of Fame. This marks the third time that Slugger has been nominated, previously receiving nominations in 2019 and 2021. Fans can help Slugger get inducted by voting for him each day. Voting begins on Sunday, May 14, 2023, and runs for two weeks, finishing on Saturday, May 27, 2023. Fans can cast their votes for Slugger at mascothalloffame.com or seadogs.com.
Slugger is one of 18 mascots selected by the Mascot Hall of Fame Executive Committee for consideration for induction into the National Mascot Hall of Fame. The Mascot Hall of Fame honors and recognizes the best in the business of professional, semi-pro, and collegiate mascots in North America with at least a 10-year career of entertaining fans and communities. Slugger is the only Minor League Baseball mascot nominated. Currently, there are no Minor League mascots in the Hall of Fame.
Excited and honored to share I’m a 2023 Mascot Hall of Fame Nominee!!!
— Slugger The Sea Dog (@Slugger_SeaDog) May 7, 2023
Voting begins May 14th! More ballot info here: https://t.co/JgYjZ2P3B8 pic.twitter.com/EuvDubhfTd
Fans will have a say in which mascots are inducted into the National Mascot Hall of Fame. Fans can vote once per day, per email address. Voting runs from Sunday, May 14th through Saturday, May 27th. Fans can vote at www.mascothalloffame.com/thevote or seadogs.com. The 2023 Induction Ceremony is set for August 12th. Winners will be announced on June 23rd.
Among the qualities the Mascot Hall of Fame looks for in nominees is the mascot’s record of contributions to the team, impact on their community, performances that are considered memorable or groundbreaking, and the design of the mascot.
Slugger has served as the Sea Dogs’ Director of Crowd Entertainment since the teams’ inception in 1994. In addition to entertaining over 10 million fans at Hadlock Field, he makes over 200 community appearances each year. He has gained national attention for his on-field antics; and is one of the most followed mascots on social media in minor league sports. He adds a special element to every Portland Sea Dogs game with skits that include dancing, flips, stunts, interactions with the umpires and fans, and general tomfoolery. Slugger is the face of the Strike Out Cancer in Kids program which has raised over five million dollars for the Maine Children’s Cancer Program. He also leads Slugger’s Reading Challenge, the Slugger Open, and the Mini Slugger Open. In 2014 he walked from Fenway Park to Hadlock Field to raise awareness and money for Tourette Syndrome.
In 2022, Slugger was the recipient of two inaugural Mascot Hall of Fame Awards, winning at the Minor League level for “Greatest Community Impact” and “Best In-Game Routine or Skit”. Slugger’s additional accolades include the Let’s Get Two podcast 2019 and 2022 “Mascot of the Year”, an honorable mention for “Mascot of the Year” by Gameops.com in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022. He was nominated for a Minor League Baseball Golden Bobblehead in 2018 and a MiLBY award in 2019 for “Best In-Game Fun”.
The Mascot Hall of Fame is located in Whiting, Indiana, located less than 30 minutes from Chicago. In addition to honoring mascots, the Hall of Fame is a state-of-the-art interactive children’s museum that was created to entertain, educate, and enthuse children, families, and sports fans of all ages.
Fans can follow Slugger the Sea Dog on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.