Sizzler and Mischief Bring Randy Johnson Out of Retirement to Coach Youth Baseball

Randy Johnson is a very reluctant, and somewhat mean, coach of a youth baseball team in the latest work for Sizzler by Mischief @ No Fixed Address.

The MLB Hall of Famer is brought out of retirement for the new campaign, “Hungry for the Win,” which cements a new tagline for the California-based chain of family steakhouses: “We Goin’ Sizzler.”

Johnson’s mission in the ad is to coach a bunch of fairly clumsy 9-year-old baseball players, the Simi Valley River Dogs, and try to help them win their first game. Johnson served the team two days of old-school baseball the only way a 6’10” lefty fastballer knows how—with tough love, or really not much love at all.

A hero spot hints at the action, with the gruff pitcher getting easily, and hilariously, frustrated with his players. At one point he even says to the kids, “I’ve seen better swings at a playground.”

A longer-form video shows all the ups and mostly downs of the training and the game as the team, of course sponsored by Sizzler, tries to win one so they can get to Sizzler and eat shrimp and ice cream.

Spoiler alert: The River Dogs didn’t win the game. But they did score their first run to kick off the season, and that’s worth its weight in sundaes from Sizzler’s unlimited salad bar. They ultimately got to enjoy a winners feast, even though they lost.

“We believe every win deserves a big celebration,” said Sasha Shennikov, Sizzler’s director of marketing, in a statement. “Whether it’s hitting your first home run or just making it to first base, Sizzler’s here to help folks savor that moment.”

Johnson weighed in that he thought his comeback would take him to the Bronx or the Bay, not Simi Valley.

“But honestly whether you’re in the big leagues or a little one, what matters is winning. But even more honestly, it’s how you play the game. Thanks to me, these kids play the game right. That’s reason enough to celebrate for this old ballplayer. With that, I announce my retirement from the River Dogs. It’s over to you now. Woof woof,” said Johnson in a statement.

The campaign makes a point that if you have something to celebrate, no matter how small, Sizzler has just the thing to make it feel big. Customers can score a free “We Goin’ Sizzler” sundae with any meal purchase now, and for a limited time it comes in a collectible baseball helmet bowl.

“If hauling Randy out of retirement to give this losing team the taste of winning feels completely over the top, well that’s because it is. But that’s how much Sizzler believes in democratizing that feeling of the win—no matter how big or small,” added Kevin Mulroy, ecd and partner at Mischief, in a statement.

There is also a landing page for the “Hungry for the Win” campaign.

Mischief won the Sizzler business last year and launched new work with nostalgia, bringing in Full House actor Jodie Sweetin, who starred in the chain’s 1987 commercial, which is referenced in the work.

Mischief recently won the business for Carter’s children’s apparel and earlier this year landed MGM Resorts.