Austin Meadows, Carlos Pena featured in MLB Network plakata commercial

Former Rays first baseman and MLB Tonight analyst Carlos Pena put on his news-conference suit for a new MLB Network commercial with Rays outfielder Austin Meadows that is set to air on opening day.

Meadows breaks out a reporter’s notebook and asks Pena about the meaning of the word, plakata.

“Carlos, for the record, where did your signature term, ‘plakata,’ come from?” Meadows asks.

“Plakata’s just an expression my brothers and I used when we were kids,” Pena, a Gold Glove winner and Silver Slugger recipient, responds. “It means good, solid contact, usually resulting in a home run. So, if you go deep, it means you just went plakata.”

Pena’s son, Nicolas, swings a bat in the video, hitting a high fly ball. As the ball breaks a nearby window, Nicolas yells, “Plakata!” and tosses the bat aside.

Meadows scribbles down Pena’s answer on his notebook. At the end of the commercial, he swings and makes contact with a ball — screaming, “Plakata!” after his follow-through.

The commercial promotes the insight featured on MLB Tonight, “answering baseball’s toughest questions.”

The defending American League champion Rays take on the Miami Marlins in their season opener Thursday at 4:10 p.m. at LoanDepot Park. Tyler Glasgow will start on the mound for Tampa Bay.

Contact Mari Faiello at mfaiello@tampabay.com. Follow @faiello_mari.

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