Weird Facts You Never Knew About Every MLB Team

When you’re setting up your MLB betting, you’re probably focusing on the stats and performance - but there’s so much more to baseball teams than just pitching, hitting and catching. 

Here’s a run-through of all the teams in MLB and a quirky, little-known fact about each.

As a nod to the days when there were all kinds of crazy pre-match contests to keep the crowds entertained, the Angels have an annual cow milking competition. Each year, two dairy cows are brought onto the pitch, and two players compete to extract the most milk.

In 1976, floods were so destructive that the game was postponed, but many of the players and staff had already made it to the stadium. With the building inaccessible, players set up dinner around the second base on the field - and included a handful of fans who had arrived at the stadium, despite the weather.

One of the most memorable ways to deliver balls to the umpire was offered by the A's owner, Charlie Finley. He apparently was the brainchild behind Harvey the Rabbit. This gigantic cartoon bunny would rise up from the ground to give baseballs to the umpire. He was last seen in 1971, but rumour suggests he is buried in the Coliseum, just beyond the outfield wall.

Their name was picked in 1976 as a result of a public poll, but the most popular option was the Blues. The University of Toronto already took this name, so they just amended it slightly and have been known as the Blue Jays ever since.

The Braves are responsible for what is possibly the most disgusting prank ever played in MLB. As revenge for Nationals Adam LaRoche cutting out all of the crotches on the underwear for the Braves, they stuffed his glove full of human faeces! Thankfully LaRoche thought the prank was hilarious - but not many would have shared this view!

Secret Stadium Sauce is a massive favourite for Brewers fans, and it's even sold in the grocery sauce. However, it was originally invented as an accident in the 1970s; condiments were running low, so they mixed up mustard, ketchup, barbecue sauce and some other bits and bobs as an emergency measure.

The beautiful cardinal bird is often associated with the Cardinals, and they have a bird as their mascot and a bird design across their chest. However, their name comes from the colour of their socks which was overheard being described as “a lovely shade of cardinal”.

The bleachers have a wire basket in front of them to stop fans from falling and prevent them from hanging their coats and jackets on the wall. Before the wire basket was installed the public speaker for the Cubs used to famously request, "Will the fans please remove their clothes?"

In 2001, D-backs player Randy Johnson threw a fastball that hit a low-flying bird. The flurry of feathers caught everyone by surprise; experts calculated the chances of the feat occurring were less than one in 50 million.

The Dodgers is the long-standing name they were given, which nods back to their roots in Brooklyn when fans had to move quickly to avoid trolleys. Other nicknames they've had include Bridegrooms, Grays, Foutz's Fillies, Superbas, Robins, Dem Bums and Ward's Wonders.

One of the starting pitchers for the Giants was legally blind. Jake Peavy performed well on the mound but admitted to struggling in low light, leading to his catchers placing tape on their fingers so he could pick up their signals more clearly.

The Indians are in contention for having one of the strangest MLB players that ever took to the park. Joe Charboneau used a razor to cut out a tattoo, fixed a broken nose with pliers and demanded people break rocks on his chest.

The Mariners' mascot is a moose, and one of the most recognisable in the MLB. A fifth-grader chose it during a public poll, but other than that has no connection to the club or its history!

The Marlins' mascot lost its head when a Navy Seal wearing the outfit parachuted into the stadium in 1997. He had to land "headless", but the head was eventually found on the Florida Turnpike two months later.

After a miserable season in 1964, the Mets were confident of success the following year after bringing in Olympian Jesse Owens to coach them on running. Despite the improvements seen, their running remained dire, and they were caught 42 times in the 1965 season, only stealing 28 bases.

The stadium for the Nationals is a work of art - quite literally. Opened in 2008, it takes its inspiration from the National Gallery of Art’s famous East Wing.

There is a wall beyond the outfield at the Orioles stadium that bears a plaque for every single home run that has ever landed there.

Kevin Towers was one of the most famous managers of the Padres, but he got so stressed about the final out of the game, he hid in his office until his closer came to find him. He would know what the result was by listening to whether the crowd was cheering or not.

The Phillies were having such a bad run a few decades ago that in 1960 their 49-year-old manager, Eddie Sawyer, quit after just one game, famously saying he "wanted to live to see 50"!

Bing Crosby was a part-owner of the Pirates but believed he brought them bad luck. Instead of watching the game, he flew to Paris and listened to it on the radio - but he also hired a company to record it from the TV, which is the only reason there’s a recording of the World Series 1960 home run for Bill Mazeroski available today.

Grass clippings taken from the Rangers' stadium field are recycled and used either as mulch for the outside landscaping or returned to the field as fertiliser.

Joe Maddon is one of the Rays' most well-known but eccentric managers, and he liked to welcome animals into the dressing room. Attendees included a penguin during spring training, but cockatoos and snakes have also been known to pay a visit!

For a brief period, the Reds changed their name to the Redlegs in a bid to try and distance themselves from the incendiary political association with communists. Reporters and fans ignored the attempt to change the name, and they eventually reverted officially back to the Reds.

The Green Monster is an infamous wall stretching 37 feet tall in left field, a structure that was originally built to stop passers-by in the street from watching the game. The attempts to hit a home run over the wall has led to more than 211,000 dents in the gigantic barrier.

The beloved dinosaur mascot for the Rockies was created as a result of the prehistoric remains which were dug up when Coors Field was being built.

The Royals seems like a very regal name, but the team were actually named after the American Royal livestock show which Kansas City held every year. Alternatives suggested by the public in a vote included Cowpokes and Mules!

Tiger Stadium was originally painted green before it underwent a paint job to the now-famous blue, the colour it remained until the last ball was hit in 1999. The reason for the change in hue was allegedly to make it easier for fielders and hitters to spot the ball against the backdrop.

A supersized “Golden Glove” is a popular attraction at the Twins stadium, in tribute to all of the club’s players to win the Golden Glove award. It is located precisely 520 feet from the home plate - which is the same distance as the longest home run recorded by Harmon Killebrew at Met Stadium.

The White Sox were known for experimenting with their uniform, but there was one particular innovation they introduced which really took off: names on jerseys. The White Sox began the trend in 1959 to help fans identify players, and other teams soon followed suit. 

Although they are usually known by their nickname of the Bronx Bombers, they are sometimes called the Pinstripers. This is a reference to them being the first team to introduce pinstriped shirts around a century ago.