In celebration of Shohei Ohtani’s momentous 2024 season, when he became the first ever player to create the “50-50 Club”, MLB and Wieden+Kennedy Tokyo are championing the achievement by showcasing all of his 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases in an epic Tokyo-wide OOH takeover. The billboards have all been put up just 24 hours after the final match of the season.
Each media placement and billboard will feature imagery of one specific home run or stolen base from Ohtani’s record-breaking season, along with the date and number. The 113 moments do not just live in the real world, but also on MLB’s social media, where every single home run and stolen base becomes a part of the digital gallery and fans can engage with @MLBJapan for a chance to win MLB swag packages.
Before all of that, there’s plenty more MLB action to unfold. Starting today, the National League Wild Card teams battle to face Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Division Series, as Ohtani gears up for his long-anticipated debut in the MLB Postseason. With his record 50-50 season in the rearview, Ohtani sets his sights on his goal of making and winning the World Series to claim MLB’s ultimate crown.
Fans can also look forward to next March, when MLB’s biggest stars gather in Tokyo for the MLB Tokyo Series. Fans in Japan can expect to experience “Something Else” when Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Dodgers, play Shota Imanaga and Seiya Suzuki of the Chicago Cubs.
Noah Garden, MLB Deputy Commissioner, Business and Media, added: “As we all know, Shohei Ohtani is no stranger to making history, but seeing him create the 50/50 Club truly is something else. To celebrate Ohtani doing something that has never been done before, we wanted to show up in a big way that has never been done before too. That’s why we created 113 billboard monuments for this momentous achievement.”
Credits
Chief Creative Officer: Vivian Yong, Erwin Federizo
Creative Director: Max Pilwat
Copywriter: Max Cameron, Andrew Miller, Marina Danjo
Art Director: Shohei Kawada
Designer: Akane Yasuda, Konatsu Matsumoto
Executive Producer: Kosuke Sasaki
Producer: Yoko Onodera
Head of Brand Management: Jordan Cappadocia
Brand Director: Caroline (Carlee) Benson
Brand Executive: Isao Okubo
Comms Planning Director: Patrick Fahey
Comms Strategist: Taiki Satoh
Agency Editor: Ty Demura
Creative Operations Director: Aiwei Ichikawa
Communications Director: Kazuki Kyogoku
Head of Production: Michelle Brough
President: Yosuke Suzuki
PRINT PRODUCTION
OOH Coordinator: Takuro Oyasu
Print Company: Daiichiseihan
Retoucher: Kazuya Kuriyama
Online Editor: Ayumu Yoko
Post Producer: Rashi Hara
Videographer: Vinod Vijayasankaran
