LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Papa John’s (NASDAQ: PZZA), the world’s third-largest pizza delivery company, is stepping up to the plate to become the Official Pizza of Major League Baseball (MLB) after signing a multiyear agreement. As an Official Sponsor of MLB, Papa John’s will be activating an integrated marketing and experiential campaign across MLB‘s media platforms, signature events, and the Play Ball Initiative.

Beginning Sunday, April 3rd with the first game and continuing throughout the MLB season, Papa John’s will be making Grand Slams even better with Papa Slams. For every Papa Slam hit, fans receive 40 percent off any pizza at regular menu price the following day at www.papajohns.com. Simply visit Papa John’s web site the day after a Papa Slam is hit and enter promo code: PAPASLAM.

Each Papa Slam will be promoted across MLB.com, MLB social channels, MLB Network and MLB.TV with live look-ins on games when the bases are loaded. Papa John’s will also be promoting Papa Slam across its digital, TV and social media channels. For more information about the partnership and the upcoming Papa Slam promotion, visit www.mlb.com/papaslam.

“This partnership combines two of the nation’s favorite pastimes, eating pizza and watching baseball,” said John Schnatter, Papa John's founder, chairman and CEO. “As the Official Pizza of Major League Baseball, we are delivering a better pizza to baseball fans and making Grand Slams even more exciting with Papa Slam.”

Papa John’s partnership with MLB expands its strong relationship with the league on the club level. Papa John’s is an Official Pizza of 21 MLB teams, including the Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Colorado Rockies, Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers and Washington Nationals.

“With 21 Club deals and involvement in youth baseball, Papa John’s has demonstrated a commitment to baseball and we are delighted they are deepening their involvement with a national MLB partnership,” said Bob Bowman, MLB President, Business & Media. “The Papa Slam is a fun opportunity for Papa John’s to provide a desirable fan benefit connected to the Grand Slam, baseball’s most exciting offensive moment.”

In 2015, there were 108 Grand Slams and 4,073 plate appearances with the bases loaded. Here are some other Grand Slam feats:

Most grand slams in a career: 25

Most grand slams in a season by a team: 14

MLB players to hit two grand slams in a single game: 13

Most grand slams in a season by an MLB player: 6

Papa John’s is also a proud supporter of youth baseball, as the founding sponsor of the inaugural Papa John's Youth Baseball Invitational. Youth baseball teams from the Miami area compete for the once-in-a-lifetime all expenses-paid trip to Dyersville, Iowa, to compete in a baseball tournament and skills competition at the iconic Field of Dreams movie site. The brand will expand its youth baseball initiative as a Supporting Sponsor of MLB’s Play Ball effort, the league’s program to encourage widespread participation in both formal and informal baseball activities especially focused on youth.

About Papa John’s

Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, Papa John's International, Inc. (NASDAQ: PZZA) is the world's third-largest pizza delivery company. For 14 of the past 16 years, consumers have rated Papa John's No. 1 in customer satisfaction among all national pizza chains in the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Papa John's is the Official Pizza of Major League Baseball, Proud Sponsor of Major League Baseball and Supporting Sponsor of the Major League Baseball Play Ball Initiative.

For more information about the company or to order pizza online, visit Papa John's at www.papajohns.com. Also visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PapaJohns, Twitter at http://twitter.com/PapaJohns, YouTube at www.youtube.com/user/papajohns, Instagram at instagram.com/papajohns, Pinterest at www.pinterest.com/papajohnspizza, and Vine at vine.co/papajohns. Looking to be a part of something Better? Learn more about franchising with Papa John's at www.papajohns.com/franchise.

About Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball (MLB) is the most historic professional sports league in the United States and consists of 30 member clubs in the U.S. and Canada, representing the highest level of professional baseball. Major League Baseball is the best-attended sport in North America, and since 2004, MLB has enjoyed its best-attended seasons in the history of the game, with each regular season eclipsing the 73 million mark. Now led by Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr., MLB currently features record levels of labor peace, competitive balance and industry revenues, as well as the most comprehensive drug-testing program in American professional sports. MLB remains committed to making an impact in the communities of the U.S., Canada and throughout the world, perpetuating the sport’s larger role in society and permeating every facet of baseball’s business, marketing and community relations endeavors. With the continued success of MLB Advanced Media and MLB Network, MLB continues to find innovative ways for its fans to enjoy America’s National Pastime and a truly global game. For more information on Major League Baseball, visit www.MLB.com.