<P> Gapper is one of the current mascots for the Cincinnati Reds . He was first introduced as the furry companion to Mr. Red, the long - time mascot in the winter of 2002 as the franchise was preparing to move to their new home, Great American Ball Park . The mascot was created by David Raymond's Raymond Entertainment Group, the founder being the man inside the Phillie Phanatic costume from 1973 to 1993 . A young fan won two season tickets for submitting the winning name; he is named after the "gap" in the stands in the seats of Great American, which provides a view into and out of the stadium . The term "gapper" is also a slang phrase for a batted ball which falls into the "gap" between outfielders (generally a ball hit to either left - center or right - center field which rolls to the fence). According to a recent cincinnati.com poll of the Red's four mascots, he is the least popular amongst fans . He received 6% of the voting, Mr. Red received 23%, Rosie Red received 34%, and Mr. Redlegs received 47% . </P> <P> Junior is the younger brother of Ace . He made his mascot debut in 2011 . He is half the size of Ace so he wears the number 1 / 2 . He only appears on Jr. Jays Saturdays . In the game, he and Ace stand in two different aisles and they run in slow motion and hug . </P> <P> Lou Seal is the official mascot of the San Francisco Giants . "Born" on July 25, 1996, Luigi Francisco Seal has been a regular part of all Giants home games, as well as numerous events in San Francisco and around the United States, ever since . Although his name (a play on the name "Lucille") is a bit ambiguous, he is indeed "officially" male and the person inside the costume is a man . Species-wise, Lou Seal is a reference to the San Francisco Seals, the baseball club that was a mainstay of the Pacific Coast League from 1903 until 1957 . </P> <P> In a contest held by the Giants where fans were asked for ideas, six people submitted the name "Lou Seal ." These lucky fans were then invited to a game that season where they sat in a luxury box and got to meet the newly named mascot, and one of them was randomly chosen to throw out the first pitch . In 2008 Forbes Magazine named Lou Seal the best mascot in sports . He has had 1,150 consecutive home - game appearances, and is one of the four subjects followed in the second season of the Hulu series Behind the Mask . </P>

When was lou seal first introduced as the giants mascot