Major League Baseball wasn’t the only one making noise during 2025 All-Star Week. Adidas launched their own interstellar event—the Moon Derby—a gravity-defying experience that blurred the line between sport and science fiction. The activation featured rising MLB stars like Pete Crow-Armstrong and O’Neil Cruz, alongside top-tier content creators and influencers, all coming together to unveil the latest in baseball innovation: the new Adizero cleats.
The moment guests stepped inside the Moon Derby set, they were transported to another world. A fully immersive lunar environment—complete with moon dust, craters, ambient lighting, and space-themed soundscapes—set the stage for liftoff. Athletes suited up in their lightweight Adizero cleats, selected their weapon of choice, and stepped into the batter’s box to take swings that were truly out of this world.
Powered by a custom version of HitTrax software, every moonshot was tracked in real time, capturing exit velocity, launch angle, and distance—all while factoring in the altered physics of outer space. Players were able to watch their hits orbit along the galaxy and then head to mission control where they could review their swings and metrics.
Built for speed and designed for dominance, the Adizero cleat collection is the lightest footwear in the game. Its ultra-responsive construction makes players feel faster, more explosive, and more agile—as if they’re defying gravity with every step.
“To showcase the lightness of Adidas Adizero baseball shoes, we created a home run derby on the moon. To stay as authentic as possible, we wanted to use the hit tracking solution pros and next generation talent know, recognize, and trust. That led us to HitTrax. We needed to find a way to change the game and authenticate moon physics for our derby, with 1/6th of Earth’s gravity and no air resistance. Working with HitTrax directly allowed us to get what we wanted: a realistic moon environment that let our players and creators hit “real” moonshots. We ended up getting exactly what we needed – a great solution that allowed batters to hit over 4,000 feet, a perfect demonstration of Adizero lightness. The HitTrax team was responsive and went above and beyond expectations to create a fantastic solution for our Moon Derby.”
-Matt McCoubrey, EVP Creative and Strategy
Together, Adidas and HitTrax turned a product launch into a gravity-defying baseball experience.
