Toyota Japan Goes Deep With One of the Most Delightful Baseball Ads in a Long Time

Salarymen and businesswomen push fantastical red "G" buttons positioned around midtown, and the action begins. Soon, balls are flying off bats toward skyscrapers, and office-attired players are diving across concrete (ouch!) to make dazzling catches. They use manhole covers for bases, and a traffic cop (I think) serves as an umpire. At one point, Warren Cromartie, a former star in the U.S. who was much more popular when he played in Japan, argues a call. You tell 'em, Cro!

The final at-bat features an airborne Prius in a grandstand play of epic proportions—truly a towering drive.

Dubbed "Baseball Party," the film has deservedly earned almost 3.5 million YouTube views in Japan in two weeks. And there's a behind-the-scenes clip, naturally.

Sure, the connection between the brand and baseball is tenuous, to say the least, but the two-and-a-half-minute commercial is such exhilarating fun, only a mean-spirited boo bird would object. You might shout, "Let's play two!" and watch it again.