The lines between baseball and video games just got blurred in the most delightful way imaginable.
The two-time World Series championDodgershave announced that on March 31 at Dodger Stadium against the Guardians, the first 40,000 fans in attendance will receive a Yoshinobu Yamamoto x Yoshi from Super Mario Bros. bobblehead.
Now this is the cultural crossover we’ve been waiting for.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are giving away this limited edition Yoshinobu Yamamoto x Yoshi from Super Mario bobblehead on March 31 vs the Guardians 😮🔥@SuperMarioMoviepic.twitter.com/4V42fGetk7
The cross-promotion arrives at the same time that the new “Super Mario Bros. Galaxy Movie” landsin theaters on April 1.
Call it marketing genius, call it cartoon chaos. Either way, the night will belong to the reigning World Series MVP andNintendo.
For anyone who grew up with Nintendo controllers in their hands, the connection is obvious. Yoshi — the beloved green dinosaur companion of Mario — has been one of the most recognizable characters in gaming for more than three decades.
But in Los Angeles, the name “Yoshi” suddenly belongs to someone else, too.
In October, Yamamoto delivered a World Series performance that also felt pulled from a video game cheat code. Yamamoto pitched a complete game in Game 2 of the World Series against the Blue Jays. Warmed up in relief in Game 3. Allowed just one run and got the victory in Game 6, and then returned less than 24 hours later on no rest to pitch 2.2 shutout innings of relief to get the win in Game 7. Overall, he was 3-0 with a 1.05 ERA in the Fall Classic, earning him a permanent place in Dodgers history.
Yamamoto’s nickname of “Yoshi” was already floating around the Dodgers’ clubhouse for the last two seasons, but now he can share it forever with the smiling green dinosaur in collectible form.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
