Wally just notched a win in a new MLB mascot poll

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See where Wally the Green Monster placed among other faves like Phillie Phanatic, Mr. Met, and “The Oriole Bird.”

Wally went international at a 2024 MLB event at Estadio Quisqueya in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff

Let’s face it: Wally the Green Monster has his work cut out for him right now. It’s tough keeping spirits high at the ballpark when your team’s record is 10-21 at home. There’s always the chance that the crowd will get frustrated with Wally’s unflagging optimism and start beaning him with Lobstah Poutines. 

But Wally must be doing something right: A new national survey of fans conducted by Bovada Sportsbook found that the Red Sox’s big green mush of a mascot is actually in the top 5 of all mascots in the MLB. Wally finished fourth out of 28 in the poll, and, in a nice little slice of revenge for 1986, squeaked past the fifth place finishers, Mr. and Mrs. Met. (Take that, you big-headed freaks.)

Gov. Maura Healy has a moment with Wally at opening day back in 2023. – Jim Davis/Globe Staff

As for the three mascots who bested Wally, Phillies mascot Phillie Phanatic was first — unsurprising given that, like a sizable number of Phillies fans, he is insane. (One imagines that were Wally to attempt his more even-keeled approach to mascotting in Philadelphia, there’s a good chance he’d meet the same fate as HitchBOT, the hitchhiking robot who tried, unsuccessfully, to make it through Philly in 2015.)

Meanwhile, second and third places went to “The Oriole Bird” and “Pirate Parrot,” which are not even real names, they’re descriptions. Wally, you were robbed.

MLB’s most-loved mascots in 2026

RankMascotTeamEntertainingHumorousEngagingFinal score

1Phillie PhanaticPhiladelphia Phillies35.20%30.93%18.33%10

2The Oriole BirdBaltimore Orioles29.57%21.83%15.87%6.55

3Pirate ParrotPittsburgh Pirates27.83%23.07%15.27%6.25

4Wally the Green MonsterBoston Red Sox26.80%21.03%14.27%5.36

5Mr. Met & Mrs. MetNew York Mets25.37%19.73%14.60%5

6Mariner MooseSeattle Mariners25.10%20.70%13.70%4.81

7Bernie BrewerMilwaukee Brewers25.60%19.57%13.70%4.7

8Clark the CubChicago Cubs23.93%17.87%13.60%4.07

9Billy the MarlinMiami Marlins23.17%18.07%13.07%3.79

10PAWSDetroit Tigers22.33%17.93%12.23%3.32

Source: Bovada Sportsbook Survey

Still, No. 4 is a big step up from the last poll Wally figured in, last year’s poll of “sexiest mascots.” Wally finished 22nd in that one, because Wally is a lot of things, but sexy isn’t one of them. However, as the new survey showed, when it comes to being a “most loved” mascot (in a strictly platonic way), Wally does much better. “The Red Sox mascot secured strong ratings for entertainment value (26.80%) and humor (21.03%),” noted a Bovada spokesperson — not bad for a monster who many older fans wanted to pummel when he debuted back in 1997. 

Not that he doesn’t have work left to do: While he finished No. 4 among all of the 3,000 baseball fans surveyed, when the poll dug down into most loved mascots amongst their own fanbases, Wally failed to crack the top 10, coming in at No. 14. We remain hard to please here in Boston.

So what do you think? Is Wally living up to his mascot duties? And does he reign as the best mascot in Boston? (You’ll recall that last year when we asked about his relative sexiness level, he finished way behind Slyde the Fox of the Boston Revolution, because VA-VOOM!) 

Professional wrestler Liv Morgan celebrates at Fenway with Tessie, left and Wally the Green Monster. – Matthew J Lee/Globe Staff

Let us know via the Boston.com poll below, or email [email protected], and we may quote your response in a future article.

Who is Boston’s most-loved mascot?

Peter ChiancaGeneral Assignment Editor

Peter Chianca, Boston.com’s general assignment editor since 2019, is a longtime news editor, columnist, and music writer in the Greater Boston area.

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