Retired MLB umpire Jim Joyce knows a good thing when he sees it. Sharing mutual respect with Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. has its rewards, and appearing together in a national TV commercial is keeping their legacies connected.
The GEICO Insurance ad featuring Griffey Jr., his wife, Melissa Griffey, and Joyce ran frequently during last fall’s World Series between the Diamondbacks and Rangers. With MLB’s 2024 postseason on the horizon, the trio remain friendly faces to TV viewers from Maine to Oregon and all points in between. The baseball-themed 30-second ad resonates with the masses and, from a GEICO standpoint, potential customers.
It’s the mystery surrounding the man behind the mask, as the ad opens, that seems to be the catalyst for the ongoing interest in it. It’s no accident that the former home run slugger and 30-year MLB umpire, now retired for eight seasons, appear together. Throughout the ad, Joyce is seen five times. During the fourth and fifth segments, he removes his mask. The handlebar mustache Joyce wore during his career that set him apart from his fellow umpires is the tipping point in the GEICO promotion.
So, how did Joyce find himself in Orlando, Florida, after flying across the country from his home in Portland, Oregon, for a day’s work with the Hall of Fame couple?
As Joyce explained to The Epoch Times this week during a phone conversation, there are a couple of reasons why he took his umpiring uniform out of mothballs.
“With baseball sponsoring the commercial by GEICO, I believe there is an agreement that whenever an umpire is included, they will use either a current or past MLB umpire. When Junior was asked who he would want in the commercial, he asked for me. We’ve had a good relationship over the years. He respects me, and I respect him.”
The Griffey Jr.–Joyce connection was first documented in June 1989. For Joyce, who had worked the two previous seasons as a fill-in, 1989 was his first full season. The same went for Griffey Jr. As a 19-year-old rookie who had played the previous year in Double-A ball in Vermont, he entered the 1989 season with as much anticipation and fanfare as any rookie in recent times. On June 6 of the rookie season for both men, Joyce was calling balls and strikes behind the plate in Seattle’s Kingdome.
The soon-to-be superstar ballplayer struck out on three pitchers. Not happy with Joyce’s calls, Griffey Jr. had some bad words for the umpire and was ejected from the game. It was Joyce’s first MLB ejection. On the receiving end, it was also Griffey Jr.’s first ejection. After the game, Griffey Jr. visited the umpires’ dressing room and apologized to Joyce. The future Hall of Famer wouldn’t get tossed from a game for another dozen seasons.
There were other memorable moments during Joyce’s career that gave Griffey Jr. a reason to hand-pick him for the GEICO ad.
One August day during the 2012 season, when an Arizona Diamondbacks’ employee went into cardiac arrest at Chase Field before the scheduled game, Joyce took action and administered CPR until paramedics arrived. A month later, she thanked him at the ballpark for saving her life.
Then there was the June 2010 game in Detroit. Perhaps one of MLB’s most infamous umpire calls involved Joyce and Tigers’ pitcher Armando Galarraga. In the ninth inning, with two outs and a potential perfect game on the line, the Cleveland Indians’ batter, Jason Donald, reached first base on a ground ball and was called ’safe' by Joyce. Realizing after the game that he made the wrong call, Joyce apologized to the Tigers’ pitcher.
Among Joyce’s many career successes over three decades in MLB stadiums were multiple World Series and All-Star games, plus Division and League Championship Series. So, when it came to choosing someone for the GEICO ad, for Griffey Jr. the choice was clear.
“I worked one day on the commercial,” says Joyce, who portrays the “problem neighbor.”
“We started shooting in the early morning and were done by early afternoon. I had a great time, and it was awesome to see his [Griffey Jr.] big, old smile come out again.”
Prior to being in Orlando for the GEICO ad, Joyce remembers the last time his and Griffey Jr.’s paths crossed. When the Mariners retired Griffey Jr.’s uniform No. 24 in Seattle in August 2016, Joyce was part of the umpiring crew assigned to the series with the visiting Los Angeles Angels.
Combining 30 years of MLB umpiring service with 30 seconds of participating in a TV ad for a major insurance company, Joyce remains popular with the media. He credits a story about his being in the ad with Griffey Jr. in a Cincinnati daily newspaper that kicked off other outlets and individuals to get the MLB talking about him again.
Joyce is enjoying the steady stream of attention that is following him in retirement.
“It’s fun!” he said. “MLB Network had me on their Intentional Talk program.
“The commercial has [Griffey, Jr.] as the star. I’m not promoted in it, but it’s nice to be recognized.”
