SEATTLE -- Mariners Commercials appear to be back, and they literally and figuratively returned in a big way.
After a four-year hiatus, the widely popular bit returned on Monday in the form of a 38-second clip titled “The ultimate carpool.”
The video featured Cal Raleigh pulling up to the Peoria Sports Complex in full uniform, driving a white dump truck as a play on the catcher’s nickname that’s gone mainstream. A label on the driver’s side door revealed the company’s name -- “Big Dumper Trucking” -- and below it, the tagline for the fictional company read, “We’ve got junk in the trunk!”
Raleigh emerges alongside Logan Gilbert, who was riding shotgun. As the two begin walking to the complex entrance, a duffel bag with baseball equipment is tossed by an unseen character from the truck’s massive bed, presumably someone who just had an uncomfortable commute. Then another bag flies onto the pavement, and one more, after which the passengers -- making the high leap separately from the bed -- are revealed to be Bryce Miller, George Kirby and Bryan Woo.
“Don’t scratch the paint again!” Raleigh shouts back at the trio while clicking his handheld key for the vehicle, which makes the sound of an expensive car locking.
“Gotta get a better ride to work,” Miller then says to Woo and Kirby while handing each their duffels.
Fans that had been clamoring for Mariners Commercials since they’d gone away in recent years were in for a treat. Between the first airing in 1980 and the most recent in 2019, they grew to be hugely popular for their creative concepts that allowed the personalities of the players featured to shine.
Monday’s was a perfect example, given that Raleigh has grown into an affable presence within the clubhouse and is viewed by the coaches as an integral member of the pitching staff. He is close friends with Seattle’s young starters, especially Gilbert, who grew up in the Minors alongside Raleigh. It’s no coincidence that Gilbert was riding shotgun.
The commercials were almost always filmed during Spring Training, released ahead of Opening Day and aired throughout the season. Moving forward, they’re being slightly rebranded -- referred to as “digital shorts” -- and more could be on the way in the coming days.