The Athletic: Why the Mets took out a Super Bowl commercial [$]

The 30-second spot effectively delivers dry humor as Mets players fill in as ticket sellers. Brandon Nimmo bolts through an office to a ringing phone yelling “I got it, I got it, I got it” — you know, as outfielders do — before picking it up with a gigantic grin.

Kodai Senga, speaking Japanese in a video call with Tomás Nido, tells the catcher that, indeed, “My ghost fork is just a pitch. It’s not a real ghost.” Nido, seated at a cubicle and holding a landline to his ear, relays this discovery to a fan, who we infer has just asked that burning existential question.

Francisco Lindor and Mr. Met also appear in the commercial, which was filmed last week in Florida. Senga participated remotely from Japan.

Goldberg has done Super Bowl ads before, typically with eight or nine months of lead time. This one came together in about one month, the shortest timeline he’s ever worked on.

“Over this holiday, I was actually talking with our agency partners, and they threw out a crazy idea: ‘What about a Super Bowl ad?’” Goldberg said. “I said, ‘That’s insane, but let me see.’ And we started hatching a plan, and I brought it to Steve, and Steve was like, ‘That’s a great idea. Do you think it could work?’”