Budweiser cheers baseball's ‘Best Buds’ in new campaign

To mark National Best Friends Day, Budweiser is highlighting an unusual baseball achievement.

The beer brand, whose parent Anheuser-Busch InBev once owned the St. Louis Cardinals, has signed up two veteran players of that franchise, pitcher Adam Wainwright and catcher Yadier Molina, to star in a campaign called “Best Buds.” The campaign from A-B InBev’s in-house agency Draftline breaks this morning and encourages fans to tag the brand on social media for a chance to win tickets to an MLB game with their best friend. Budweiser and online alcohol retailer Drizly are also offering an associated discount on online purchases on June 8, which is National Best Friends Day.

While reinforcing Budweiser’s longtime association with baseball fans and social gatherings, the ad highlights the remarkable, long, and intertwined careers of Molina, 39, and Wainwright, 40, who have each hinted that this will be their final season.

‘One stat rises above them all’

“The one constant through all the years is baseball,” James Earl Jones, playing Terrence Mann, says in the 1989 film “Field of Dreams.” It does not get more constant than Molina and Wainwright, who currently rank as MLB’s No. 1 and No. 2 longest-serving active players. They have been Cardinals teammates for 17 seasons—neither player has played for another franchise.

Last month, Wainwright and Molina broke baseball’s all-time record for most victories as a battery when their 203rd win as winning pitcher and starting catcher surpassed the total of Warren Spahn and Del Crandall.  Wainwright and Molina are gaining on the mark for most pitcher-catcher starts ever, set by Mickey Lolich and Bill Freehan of the Tigers in 1975.

These recent achievements are among many highlights of their shared careers in a stirring video tribute to the Cardinals’ durable duo coming to social media today. Set to a fuzzbox guitar rendition of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” the ad shows the players in game highlights while mentioning they have 11 combined Gold Gloves, two World Series championships and brought millions of fans to their feet. “One stat rises above them all,” the ad reads as the game highlights give way to a clip of the ballplayers in street clothes sharing Budweisers and a laugh together in a bar. “Best Buds for 17 seasons.”

In a press release, Budweiser said the ad is “also an homage to all best friends who, like Yadi and Waino, support each other on their journey to achieving their dreams—because having a bud by your side makes even the most challenging times better.”

Only 185 players in baseball history have spent careers of 10 years or more with one franchise only; and of those, few have surpassed the 17 years that Molina and Wainwright have played together. They include storied duos such as Detroit Tigers infielders Alan Trammel and Lou Whitaker, and Yankees greats Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera of the Yankees, with each pair logging 19 seasons together. George Brett and Frank White of the Kansas City Royals were one-franchise teammates for 18 years.

To mark National Best Friends Day, Budweiser and the online alcohol retailer Drizly are offering a $5 discount for new customers who use the discount code BESTBUDS.

A separate sweepstakes will award a randomly selected entrant and one guest to win tickets to an MLB game at the home park of any of the 17 clubs that have Budweiser as an official beer partner. Fans following Budweiser’s social-media pages and are 21 or older can enter on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram using the tags #BestBuds and #Sweepstakes.