Why Derek Jeter was chosen to be a pitchman for Jeep

Derek and Hannah Jeter are living the 4×4 life.

The superstar couple have entered a partnership with Jeep to be the faces of its lineup of Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer SUVs.

The Jeters and their three children will be featured in a series of advertisements for the luxury SUVs that kicked off during game one of the World Series.

Olivier Francois, chief global marketing officer for Jeep parent Stellantis, said the Kalamazoo-raised Jeter’s ties to Michigan help make him an authentic fit for the brand.

Francois said that a few days after his name came up as a possibility for the campaign, he was stuck with a broken arm in an ER waiting room in Florida watching TV and the Jeter documentary “The Captain” came on, and he watched the whole thing, which helped to seal the deal.

Francois also highlighted Jeter having a connection to the military like Jeep, his parents having met while stationed in Germany serving in the US Army.

The initial series of commercials make several references to Jeter’s storied baseball career.

One highlights the second row “captain’s” chairs available in the Wagoneers, and another shows him flipping a set of keys, a callback to a famous play Jeter made for the Yankees during the 2001 American League Division Series against Oakland.

Launching the commercial during a World Series featuring the Houston Astros turned out to be auspicious, as Texas has been the biggest market for the Wagoneer since it went on sale last year.

New York also happens to be Jeep’s biggest market in the US, which Jeep’s North American boss, Jim Morrison, said “certainly helped” with the decision to sign Jeter to a multi-year contract.