Kingsford® Charcoal And Major League Baseball™ Celebrate That Opening Day Is Back

OAKLAND, Calif., March 14, 2018/PRNewswire/ -- For the first time in  50 years Opening Day will feature all 30 teams playing in 15 cities on one glorious day.

To celebrate that #OpeningDayIsBack Kingsford Charcoal is proud to announce an official partnership with Major League Baseball. The brand is encouraging fans to take the afternoon off on Thursday, March 29 (Opening Day) to enjoy America's national pastime with a side of charcoal-smoked barbecue. Because whether you're planning to fire up your tailgate in the stadium parking lot, or gather around the grill from the comfort of your own backyard, nothing goes together quite like baseball and barbecue.

Kingsford has fielded an amazing roster of baseball greats to help launch its official partnership with MLB, including Baseball Hall of Famer and 14-time All-Star Johnny Bench, 10-time All-Star and three-time World Series Champion David "Big Papi" Ortiz, New York flamethrower and 2016 All-Star Noah Syndergaard, and the iconic voice of baseball, Vin Scully. The impressive cast stars in Kingsford's campaign that rolls out today and humorously encourages baseball fans to take the afternoon of Opening Day off, and is sure to enhance the excitement of baseball fans that #OpeningDayIsBack.

"Having had the pleasure of calling games for 67 years, I've seen my fair share of Opening Days… and nights, and weekends," said Scully. "I couldn't be more excited to team up with Kingsford this season to celebrate that the original Opening Day is back in all its glory!"

"In my playing days, I found every opportunity to grill out, but obviously never got a chance to tailgate while in-season," said Ortiz. "A perk of retirement is celebrating Opening Day by firing up the charcoal grill for an epic day of baseball and barbecue. I hope all baseball fans do the same – doesn't matter if it's at the ballpark or in the backyard, just grill, chill and cheer on your favorite team."

Fans in Arlington, Texas are in for a real treat on Opening Day as Kingsford will host the ultimate tailgate at Globe Life Park. Fans in attendance will be able to celebrate with complimentary barbecue and fun as the Rangers face their in-state rival, the reigning World Series Champion Houston Astros. For a chance to be part of the celebration, tag @Kingsford on Twitter with #OpeningDayIsBack and stay in touch with Kingsford on its social channels.

To further connect grillers and sluggers, Kingsford is launching an interactive digital experience – Backyard All-Stars– that will enable baseball fans to pair video of themselves swinging for the fences to the call of some of MLB's most beloved announcers, including famous calls by Scully, Joe Buck and Ken "The Hawk" Harrelson. When fans upload their video, they'll be entered for a chance to win a VIP trip to the 2018 MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard in Washington, D.C. Learn more by visiting the official rules. Backyard All-Stars is powered by Vivoom, a technology solution helping world-class brands build engaging, sharable digital experiences directly from their products.

"What could be more distinctively American than baseball and barbecue?" asked Lauren Kahn, studio lead of Kingsford Charcoal. "Both are all about family and friends, food and fun and tradition. We're fired up to partner with MLB to help fans celebrate America's favorite pastime – at the ballpark, in their own backyards and hopefully around the grill with great company, great food and great baseball."   

About Kingsford Charcoal
The Kingsford Products Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Clorox Company, headquartered in Oakland, Calif.The Clorox Company (NYSE: CLX) is a leading multinational manufacturer and marketer of consumer and professional products with approximately 8,100 employees worldwide and fiscal year 2017 sales of $6 billion. Clorox markets some of the most trusted and recognized consumer brand names, including its namesake bleach and cleaning products; Pine-Sol® cleaners; Liquid Plumr® clog removers; Poett® home care products; Fresh Step® cat litter; Glad® bags, wraps and containers; Kingsford® charcoal; Hidden Valley® dressings and sauces; Brita® water-filtration products; Burt's Bees® natural personal care products; and RenewLife® digestive health products. The company also markets brands for professional services, including Clorox Healthcare® and Clorox Commercial Solutions®. More than 80 percent of the company's sales are generated from brands that hold the No. 1 or No. 2 market share positions in their categories.

Clorox is a signatory of the United Nations Global Compact, a community of global leaders committed to sustainability. The company has been broadly recognized for its corporate responsibility efforts, most notably being named to the Drucker Institute's 2017 Management Top 250 list, The Just 100: America's Top Citizens list, CR Magazine's 2017 Best Corporate Citizens list and the first sector-neutral Bloomberg Gender Equality Index in 2018. In support of its communities, The Clorox Company and its foundations contributed about $11 million in combined cash grants, product donations and cause marketing in fiscal year 2017. For more information, visit TheCloroxCompany.com, including the Good Growth blog, and follow the company on Twitter at @CloroxCo.

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Contact:      Jon Farren, Current; JFarren@talktocurrent.com

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SOURCE Kingsford Charcoal