MLB Hall of Famer Pudge Rodriguez Stars in His Underwear for SAXX

Hall of Fame catcher Iván Rodriguez makes a great frontman for SAXX underwear.

The work focuses on balls—the kind Rodriguez juggled on the diamond for 21 years in MLB, and the ones gently cradled by SAXX’s rayon fibers.

In the clip below, Iván rocks a jacket, shirt and tie above the waistline—plus snug-fitting branded boxers below.

SAXX and agency Quality Meats are well versed at crafting culturally attuned schtick. They blew up Walter White’s car in April, generating gobs of coverage.

Speaking of coverage, Pudge—that’s really his nickname—could use a bit more. If you catch my drift.

This one drops in time for the latter stages of the MLB Playoffs. As you’d expect, innuendo rolls around like a line drive hit to the warning track—or whichever baseball analogy you’d prefer.

No jokes about high hard ones, please!

SAXX designed its “ballpark pouch” to cradle men’s privates like a catcher’s mitt, lending this enterprise some authentic … bounce.

That history inspired the strategy—along with the fact that some dudes neglect their oh-so-sensitive equipment by wearing “inferior” underwear. Likewise, fans cheer for home runs and stolen bases, but don’t give a second thought about the actual baseballs.

This campaign seeks to merge those ideas, explains SAXX vice president of marketing Shawna Olsten. “It was a way to focus on balls, both on the field and in the pants,” she says.

Are you thinking this sounds a tad convoluted—like a (seventh-inning) stretch? You’re safe in that assumption. Still, Pudge and his commercial co-star, baseball analytics expert Eno Sarris, seem to get a kick from exposing their knees.

The work introduces a ludicrously elaborate “Ballgorithm” stat, which celebrates/skewers advanced sports metrics. Fans who correctly guess the Ballgorithm for each game of the upcoming World Series can win SAXX for life.

What’s more, the final tally (similar to a batting average) from each WS tilt will be multiplied by 1,000 to determine an amount donated to the Testicular Cancer Foundation.

As for Pudge’s participation, “He’s caught the most games out of any catcher ever,” notes Gordy Sang, creative chief at Quality Meats. “Also, he’s squatting a lot, so we imagine the comfort of his balls is very important.”

It’s kind of crucial for those of us who slump at our desks and type all day, too.

The campaign will run across digital and social, relying on organic reach, with no media buy.

CREDITS

Client: SAXX
Agency: Quality Meats
Chief Creative officers: Brian Siedband & Gordy Sang
Creative Directors: Jamie Stark & Maxx Delaney
Executive Producer: Autumn Childress
Producer: Cate McManus
Group Account Director: Celeste Toffanello
Account Supervisor: Meredith Metzl

Production Company: Invisible Collective
Executive Producer: Sam Kelly Jr.
Director: Brad Morris
DP: Marcello Peschiera
Post Production: PS 260
Editor: Ashley Ingbreston