SANTA ANA, Calif. — Yokohama Tire Corp. (YTC) has extended its sponsorship of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Angels, first forged in 2010, through the 2020 season.
Yokohama did not provide the financial terms of the agreement nor offer details about the new deal, except for noting that that the agreement includes placement of the corporate logo in the "highly visible position" on the left center field wall.
Signing the sponsorship extension coincides with the Angels' recent signing of Shohei Ohtani, a 23-year-old pitching and hitting "phenom" from Japan, according to Alan Holtschneider, Yokohama's director of marketing.
"With the recent signing of [Mr. Ohtani] to go along with two-time MVP Mike Trout and the other great players, the Angels continue to be one of the most exciting teams in baseball," Mr. Holtschneider said in a statement.
"…Sponsoring the team has always helped build strong brand awareness for Yokohama products among Angels fans. The 2018 season is going to be amazing."
The Angels last made the MLB playoffs in 2014, when the club won the American League West Division.
In addition to the Angels deal, Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd.'s 2018 sports sponsorship roster includes English Premier League champions Chelsea FC, Nitro Circus Live US Tour, Nitro World Games and Spartan Race Series, as well as motorsports series such as the Porsche GTS Cup.
YTC's extending its sponsorship deal coincides with MLB's signing Hankook Tire America Corp. as a corporate sponsor, making Hankook the "official tire" of the MLB, as well as with the signing of a sponsorship deal involving the San Diego Padres and Tireco Inc. involving the WestLake brand.