This article first appeared on the Boston Business Journal’s website.
Jordan’s Furniture CEO Eliot Tatelman isn’t worried about all of the no-hitters in Major League Baseball this season, even though he has pledged to give away tens of millions of dollars of furniture for free if Red Sox pitchers throw a no-hitter later this season.
But his insurers sure are, he said.
As it has in years past, the East Taunton-based chain is offering to fully reimburse customers for their purchases if the Sox have a no-hitter during a certain window of the season. This year, those who purchase furniture between April 14 and May 23 will get their money back if the team has a no-hitter between Aug. 3 and Oct. 3.
Jordan’s has not had to pay up on the no-hitter bet in the past, though it famously ponied up in 2007 when the Sox won the World Series. This year is shaping up to be historically pitcher-friendly, however. So far this season, four MLB pitchers have thrown no-hitters, including two just last week. It’s only the second MLB season to feature four no-hitters before the end of May, according to Sports Illustrated — and there are still three weeks to go to Memorial Day. The batting average among MLB players is at an all-time low this season, with strikeouts at an all-time high, according to SI.
The Sox have not recorded any of four no-hit bids so far, but considering the team’s performance so far this season — they currently sport the best record in baseball — it’s very possible they could get in on the fun this summer or fall.
“There’s something in the air,” Tatelman said. “This is kind of a freaky thing.”
Jordan’s buys an insurance policy on the promotion each year so it’s not left holding the bag if it comes up on the losing end. Tatelman said he recently got a call from an executive at his insurance company, expressing nervousness about the no-hitters quickly piling up. (He declined to divulge the insurer’s identity, saying only the contest is covered by multiple companies.)
Tatelman projected that by the time the eligibility window closes, customers will have racked up close to $100 million in sales that could be refunded. That would be a much bigger payout than the $30 million-plus in 2007, when only a subset of products were included in the deal.
While baseball-savvy bargain-hunters may be contributing to that lofty total, Tatelman said the pandemic has led to a surge in sales overall, with customers looking to upgrade their furnishings in light of all of the time they’ve spent at home. While the buying window was originally supposed to run through May 16, Tatelman has extended it until May 23, he told the Business Journal. Supply-chain problems have led to backlogs at Jordan’s, as they have at all sorts of businesses in recent months, but only the order needs to come in by May 23, not the furniture delivery itself.
A new MLB rule could spoil all the fun for Tatelman, if things go wrong. This year, as in 2020, doubleheaders feature two games of seven innings each, rather than the typical nine. But the MLB does not count a seven-inning no-no as an official no-hitter, and Jordan’s has adopted that rule in its promotion. Already this year, there’s been one seven-inning no-hitter in addition to the four full-length feats.
Such a scenario gives Tatelman nightmares, he said. The chain has tried to make the caveat as clear as possible, he said. But if Eduardo Rodriguez goes seven innings without a man on base one August afternoon, he knows residents across Greater Boston will nevertheless jump up and down on their couches, falsely believing their furniture is retroactively free.
“My phone will be ringing off the hook,” Tatelman said, “and I won’t be able to walk down Boylston Street anymore.”
Jordan’s Furniture promotion to give away millions of dollars in furniture for free if Red Sox pitchers throw - MassLive.com
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