Chester Cheetah and Randy Johnson Pitch in for Mariners

Mascot stars with baseball legend

No birds were harmed in the making of this commercial, even though Randy Johnson was involved.

The MLB Hall of Famer stars with Chester Cheetah and one very nervous blue jay. They riff on an infamous episode from 24 years ago, when RJ hurled a fastball that killed a dove—in an explosion of feathers!—as it flew between the mound and home plate.

Created by Maximum Effort, the ad broke today, just ahead of Game 6 in the Mariners playoff series against the Toronto Blue Jays.

In the spot, Randy appears to believe that knocking our feathered friend from its perch will ensure an M’s victory.

But Chester knows a less violent way to channel some luck. Naturally, Cheetos are involved.

Note the Field of Dreams reference. Classy.

It’s all very inside baseball, if you will, with the premise based on a pre-game ritual in which Seattle GM Jerry Dipoto presents broadcaster Rick Rizzs with a bag of Cheetos.

That little superstition has paid off so far—though the M’s have dropped two straight since Johnson tossed out a ceremonial first pitch earlier in the week.

Now, thanks to Chester, they’re guaranteed to win tonight and make their first trip to the World Series. Salty-crunchy snacks never fail!

UPDATE 10/20: The Blue Jays won. Huh. Maybe next time try Flamin’ Hot Cheetos for a little extra pop.