Is the Vancouver Canadians sushi race real or staged?

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“I want to set the record straight… the sushi race is never fixed.”

That’s an example of just one thing I learned when speaking with Vancouver Canadians VP of Sales and Marketing Walter Cosman, the man in charge of the sushi races at Nat Bailey Stadium.

“I’m the guy that walks the sushi out to the first-base line and goes ‘3, 2, 1 go,’” Cosman told Daily Hive. “The sushi are kind of one of my babies and I take care of them every game.”

Is there a more Instagrammed moment in Vancouver sports than the sushi race at Nat Bailey Stadium? Before the fifth inning of every game, six people in sushi mascot costumes take to the field to hold a race, and the fans go wild.

It’s weird, it’s different, but it’s beloved. And somehow, it’s very Vancouver.

Canadians games are always a hot ticket in the summer. They lead the Northwest League in attendance every year and outperform teams in higher leagues on the regular.

The Canadians drew 4,876 fans per game to Nat Bailey Stadium last season. That was a better average attendance than four Triple-A teams could muster.

Not bad for a little Single-A club.

This comes even though many fans at games would have trouble naming a single player on the team. More could likely name you Chef Wasabi, Ms. BC Roll, Kappa Maki, Sadaharu Soy, Chop, and Stix.

“Other than maybe walk-off wins or big home runs… it’s definitely the loudest cheer we get. The most interaction from our fans is the sushi race,” said Cosman.

While the sushi mascots are clearly a hit with kids, adults love them too.

“The 20-somethings, the 30-somethings, even the 80-year-old people that come out to the ballpark love the sushi race,” Cosman said.

Sushi race origin story

original vancouver canadians sushi race

The original three sushi racers (Submitted)

The sushi races may not be staged anymore, but that wasn’t always the case.

Former president Andy Dunn gets credit for starting the sushi races in 2008. It began with just three mascots, Chef Wasabi, Kappa Maki, and Ms. BC Roll.

Sadaharu Soy wasn’t added until 2015, and in 2018, they added Chop and Stix.

Instead of running around the base path from first base to home plate like they do today, in year one, the sushi racers ran around the warning track near the outfield fence with the finish line at third base.

The race infused elements of WWE-style showmanship, and Chef Wasabi was the heel.

Before the announcer could finish saying “On your mark, get set, go,” Chef Wasabi would begin running. He’d have a big lead, but would inevitably lose it while heckling someone or flexing for the crowd.

“Like a bad guy pro wrestler. It was over the top, but it definitely got people’s attention,” said the original Chef Wasabi, who wished to keep his real name anonymous, in an interview with Daily Hive.

The sushi race was a hit right away.

“I could tell how popular it was,” he said, adding that it usually took two innings to return to the dressing room after the race. Everyone wanted a picture with the sushi race villain.

And yes, it gets hot in those mascot costumes.

“It was really fun… It wasn’t what brought people to the stadium but it was definitely something that people got loud for.”

Chef Wasabi became a fan favourite, despite being the supposed bad guy and never winning.

That changed seemingly by accident in the final game of the season, the original Chef Wasabi recalls. That’s when a different person, who didn’t seem to be aware of the villain gimmick, put on the Chef Wasabi suit.

And he was fast.

“The entire season Chef Wasabi has cheated the start and lost the race.”

“The final game of the year… they have [someone else] in the Chef Wasabi suit,” he said. “The crowd is going absolutely bonkers that Chef Wasabi actually won a race… the full season bit was for him to lose every single race.”

“People leave here and they have a smile on their face”

sushi races nat bailey stadium vancouver canadians

Vancouver Canadians

Cosman is adamant that the sushi races today are 100% authentic, and he works hard to make sure the result remains unpredictable.

While some costumes are easier to run in than others, members of the promo team can rotate between characters. And the racers are free to run as fast as they can.

“It’s never staged,” he said, fighting back at my uneducated assertion that Chef Wasabi still wins a majority of the races.

“This year, Chop and Stix have won the highest percentage of the races.”

The Chef Wasabi costume is a little bit easier to run in though, he admitted.

“Wasabi outfit is one of the ones that’s okay to run in. Chop and Stix are actually difficult to run in because they’re full-body mascot suits.”

Legend says there was once a bookie in Vancouver taking bets for the sushi race, to give you an idea about how much people love this quirky part of the Canadians experience.

“We are in the baseball business, but really, we’re in the hospitality business. When people leave here and they have a smile on their face… the game could be [a bad loss] some nights and they still had a great time… our average ticket price is $20. When you walk out of Nat Bailey Stadium we feel like we gave you great value for that $20,” said Cosman.

“A big part of that is what goes on in-game. Whether that’s the sushi race, which kind of leads the charge, we got the chicken dance, the seventh-inning stretch, we’ve got other things that people love doing… and all that adds up to the experience at the Nat. The majority of our fans probably can’t tell you what our win-loss record is. They might not even be able to name three players on the team, but they have an awesome experience when they come out to the stadium, and the sushi races are a big part of that.”

The Canadians are back at home Friday to begin their first series at Nat Bailey Stadium in over two weeks.

So the sushi racers will be well-rested.

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