Over the years, countless celebrities have appeared at MLB games to throw the ceremonial first pitch. But after McDonald’s Grimace took the mound at CitiField on June 12, 2024, no one knew what would happen next.
After starting the year 0-5, the NY Mets struggled to find their footing in the NL East, and fans were convinced that no one could fix the season. “Pack it in,” they said. “We’ll try again next year.”
But that fateful night, the vibe most definitely shifted.
The team had a certain purple pep in their step, racking up 14 hits to beat the Marlins. The next night, same result. The Mets won 7 games in a row, and an obsession with #TheGrimaceEffect took over the sports world.
Over the next couple weeks, McDonald’s, W+K NY, Bodega, and Golin PR brought him back out to re-engage with the fandom in more ways, like dressing McDonald’s X account with a Mets-Grimace takeover, and live-tweeting with fans during games, taking over a billboard in front of the stadium, appearing in the Mets 2025 schedule release video, and even convincing the Empire State Building to go purple in celebration of his birthday. The Mets, meanwhile, continued to outperform, taking home series after series, and even sweeping that other NY baseball team, all while fans, players, and sports media flooded the internet with love for their newfound good luck charm.
All in all, we drove 9.6B impressions across social and earned media, and landed a spot on Ad Age’s winners of the week roundup, through pure reactive opportunities, all while The New York Mets climbed the standings into wild card territory.
