The smell of grilled hot dogs, the crack of the bat, and now -- nine beers and nine dogs in nine innings. That's the 9-9-9 Challenge, baseball's newest viral phenomenon sweeping through Major League ballparks this summer.

Born on the internet but carried into stadium seats by fearless (and sometimes foolish) fans, the challenge dares spectators to consume nine hot dogs, nine beers, in the span of a nine-inning game. For some, it's a badge of honor. For others, it's a one-way ticket to the nearest ballpark trash can.

Since Opening Day, Dodgers fans have attempted the 9-9-9 Challenge more than 4,028 times, ranking third among all MLB fan bases. Only the Philadelphia Phillies (4,868 attempts) and New York Yankees (4,586 attempts) edge out L.A.

For context, that's an average of about 35 Dodger fans per home game trying their luck at the feat, often sharing their progress inning by inning across X, Tik Tok, and Instagram. In a city known for stars, sunshine, and a ballpark famous for its Dodger Dogs, perhaps it was inevitable that Chavez Ravine would become a proving ground for the viral spectacle.

A New Age of the Ballpark Challenge

The 9-9-9 craze has taken on new life in 2025, thanks to a steady drumbeat of fan content and the occasional celebrity cameo. Recently, former NFL star J.J. Watt turned heads in Milwaukee when he breezed through the challenge in just five and a half innings -- a pace most fans wouldn't dare to imagine.

But for the everyday baseball faithful, the task is grueling. With MLB's pitch clock speeding up the game, innings disappear quicker than ever, making the margin for error slim. Many would-be challengers discover that what looks like a fun viral stunt on their phone screen feels more like a war of attrition in real life.

The result? Social media is flooded with hilarious fails -- fans tapping out after their fourth beer, others stumbling into the seventh-inning stretch with regret written all over their faces, and plenty who find themselves hunched over stadium garbage cans.

The Price of Glory

Bragging rights don't come cheap. At Dodger Stadium, where beers average around $15 and hot dogs about $7, completing the challenge could set a fan back well over $250 in food and drink alone. Multiply that across thousands of attempts, and the Dodgers faithful have invested over a million dollars collectively this season into their viral pursuits.

For comparison, Phillies fans -- who rank No. 1 in attempts -- spend slightly less per try, about $160-$170 at Citizens Bank Park. Still, their sheer volume of participation (nearly 5,000 attempts this season) shows that Philadelphia isn't just the City of Brotherly Love -- it's the capital of the 9-9-9 Challenge.

Baseball's Newest Tradition

Ballparks have always been about more than the game. They're places of tradition, from the seventh-inning stretch to peanuts and Cracker Jack. The 9-9-9 Challenge may not be for the faint of heart -- or the light of stomach -- but it has quickly become part of MLB's modern fan culture.

And in Los Angeles, it seems fitting that Dodgers fans are right in the middle of the action. Whether they finish all nine or not, they're adding their own quirky chapter to the storied history of the Dodger dog at Chavez Ravine.