'Little Jerry Seinfeld' and the 5 Most Obscure Baseball Mascots of All Time

Mr. Met must be breathing a sigh of relief now that "Little Jerry Seinfeld" has flown the coop, so to speak.

While most teams have their official mascots, they don't always do the trick, prompting fans and players to take things into their own hands.

Over the years, a number of "unofficial mascots" have popped up throughout baseball, and while most are short-lived, they certainly make an impact, for better or worse.

Let's take a look at some of the most memorable "mascots" in baseball history.

2012 New York Mets: Little Jerry Seinfeld

Heading into this past weekend's Subway Series between the New York Mets and New York Yankees at Citi Field, Mets' closer Frank Francisco gave the Bronx Bombers some bulletin board fodder when he told Mike Puma of the New York Post: “I can’t wait to face those chickens. I want to strike out the side against them. I’ve done it before.”

In an attempt to have some fun at his teammates' expense, Mets' reliever Tim Byrdak had a clubhouse attendant go into Chinatown in New York City and purchase a live chicken for $8, which he quickly named "Little Jerry Seinfeld" after the rooster that Kramer purchased in an episode of the iconic show.

"Little Jerry" didn't bring the Mets much luck, as they lost two of the three games in the series, and while Francisco picked up the save in their lone win, it was costly, as he now sits on the 15-day disabled list with a strained oblique.

Byrdak admitted to reporters after the game that while it was a funny stunt, he didn't give it all that much thought:

"

We really didn't think the whole process through of actually having a live chicken and what we were going to do afterwards with him. So we decided we need to find a home for this thing pretty quick because we were going on the road.

"

"Little Jerry" won't be showing up in chicken sandwiches sold at Citi Field—Byrdak made arrangements for the bird to live out his days at Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, NY. Meredith Turner, a spokeswoman for the sanctuary, added "We couldn't be more thrilled. Tim contacted us and made sure this bird would be able to enjoy the life that all chickens deserve."

Makes you wonder if the San Diego Chicken will be joining him upstate.

1921-1932 New York Yankees: Babe Ruth and Little Ray Kelly

As he was leaving a game in 1921, Babe Ruth noticed a crowd of people watching a three-year-old boy named Ray Kelly play catch with his father. After watching for a few minutes, Ruth asked the boy's father if his son could join the Yankees as a mascot, to which Mr. Kelly said yes.

For the next 11 years, Kelly would become a fixture in the Yankees dugout, occasionally joining the team when it went on the road as well. More of Ruth's personal mascot than one for the entire team, Kelly would go on to serve his country in World War II, become an accountant and raise seven children of his own.

As someone who spent the majority of his childhood with Ruth and the Yankees teams of the 1920s and early 1930s, Kelly was in a unique position to confirm or deny the home run that Ruth supposedly called during the 1932 World Series.

In a 1997 letter, Kelly did just that, confirming from witnessing it first-hand that Ruth did in fact call his shot.

2004 Boston Red Sox: Pedro Martinez and Nelson de la Rosa

A fellow native of the Dominican Republic, 2'4" tall actor Nelson de la Rosa was "adopted" by Boston Red Sox ace Pedro Martinez in 2004 as the team's good luck charm as the Sox made their run towards the first World Series championship in more than 80 years.

Commonly seen in and around the Red Sox clubhouse that season, De la Rosa was a die-hard Sox fan who, as Martinez and his teammates believed, bought the team good luck—and perhaps he did, as the Sox rallied from a 3-0 deficit in the ALCS against the New York Yankees to reach the World Series, and then proceeded to win it all by sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals in four games.

When Martinez left Boston following the season, choosing to sign as a free agent with the New York Mets, Pedro responded to a question about Nelson by saying, "That was just a trick," before picking up another small person while exclaiming that De la Rosa was nothing but a "palm-sized pipsqueak."

Pedro's comments aren't surprising, considering the lack of class he's shown throughout his career, going back to the Don Zimmer incident.

This angered De la Rosa, who shot back saying that Pedro had "broken his heart...I'm not going to the Mets unless some other Dominican ballplayer makes me an offer. And if the Yankees call me, I'll go with them."

Unfortunately, this story doesn't have a happy ending, as Nelson passed away in 2006 at the age of 38. From all accounts, Martinez did not attend his funeral.

1910-1914 Philadelphia Athletics: Louis Van Zelst

As the mascot for a number of teams at the University of Pennsylvania in the early 1900s, Louis Van Zelst was fortunate to become friendly with a number of coaches and players on the Philadelphia Athletics, the major league team that shared the city with the school.

Disfigured due to a childhood fall and with a noticeable humpback, Van Zelst convinced A's manager Connie Mack that he was a good luck charm, and, after a brief tryout, Van Zelst began in his official capacity as the A's bat boy in 1910, when they won the World Series.

Players were so convinced that Louis was a good luck charm that they'd often rub his hunchback for luck prior to games. He had become popular with players from around the league, earning an invitation to A's second baseman Eddie Collins' wedding.

He would stay with the A's through the 1914 season, during which the team would appear in four World Series, winning three times. Tragically, he would pass away shortly following the 1914 season due to kidney disease.

The following season, the A's began a seven-year stretch where they finished in last place each year.

2011 Tampa Bay Rays: David Price and Astro

Growing up as a huge fan of The Jetsons, Tampa Bay Rays' ace David Price didn't hesitate when naming his french bulldog—it had to be "Astro."

It's not uncommon to find Astro roaming the Rays' clubhouse when the team is at home, as Price tries to keep his pup around as much as he possibly can. Astro has become such a fixture that the Rays had a giveaway of the dynamic duo dressed as superheros.

On the road, Price takes the Astro figurine and creates a doghouse atop the Rays' dugout—during a series against the Boston Red Sox last September, Price turned a paper cup into a doghouse and placed Astro inside.

When asked by reporters whether Astro was bringing luck to the team, Price replied "I think he does; we've been playing pretty well since [the giveaway]...he's always watching." At that point, the Rays had gone 15-10 in the 25 games since the giveaway.

Boston fans took notice of what Price had done and had their way with his construction: "They smashed [Astro and his house] last night. I told them that was bad karma."

Between the way 2011 ended for the Sox and how 2012 has gone thus far, it's fair to say that Price was right.

1911-1912 New York Giants: Charlie Faust

After being told by a fortune teller at a Kansas county fair in 1911 that he would pitch for and lead the New York Giants to the pennant, Charlie Faust traveled to St. Louis where the Giants were playing the Browns.

He got the ear of Giants' skipper John McGraw and persuaded McGraw to give him a tryout. To say he was underwhelming would be an understatement—Faust was awful. The Giants would win their next two games with Faust in attendance, though they left him behind in St. Louis.

Much to their surprise, Faust was waiting for them at the Polo Grounds when they returned home and, after winning a few more games, the team decided to bring him on board as a mascot. Faust entertained the crowd by working out prior to the games, flubbing fly balls and looking generally inept.

But the Giants kept winning with Faust around—they went 39-9 from the day they met him in St. Louis, and 36-2 when he was in uniform, until they clinched the pennant.

Born Charles Victor Faust, he began calling himself "victory," as that's all the Giants did when he was around.

After clinching the pennant and growing tired of listening to Faust beg to pitch, McGraw sent him in for an inning in which Faust would allow one run against Boston. During the last game of the season, Faust saw action again, pitching a scoreless inning and then getting hit intentionally when he came to the plate. He was allowed to steal second and third, and he scored on a sacrifice bunt.

The Giants would lose to the Philadelphia Athletics in the World Series, the same A's team that had their own lucky charm in Louis Van Zelst.

While the Giants would get off to a 54-11start in 1912 with Faust hanging around again, McGraw grew tired of his continued insistence that he was a major league pitcher. He eventually was convinced to go back to Kansas and the team never called him to return.

Faust would unsuccessfully attempt to get back with the Giants over the next few years until he passed away from tuberculosis in 1915. Appropriately, the day Faust died, the Giants lost.