Nestlé USA has signed its Baby Ruth candy brand to sponsor Major League Baseball.

Nestlé kicked off the three-year deal this week, sampling Baby Ruth candy bars during the All-Star Game's seventh-inning stretch and hosting the Baby Ruth 7th Inning Stretch Lounge at MLB's All-Star FanFest.

The brand will tap 12 MLB teams for events and sampling through October, touring stadiums with its 7th Inning Stretch Lounge throughout the second half of baseball season. Lounge visitors can enter to be chosen as the Baby Ruth Ultimate Fan for that game, winning seats in a luxury suite and on-field access to watch batting practice.

The Lounge includes a site that lets fans record themselves singing Take Me Out to the Ballgame and get a souvenir CD as well as Baby Ruth samples. The Lounge also showcases classic baseball footage.

At the July 7-11 FanFest, Nestlé's kids' area, dubbed the Baby Ruth Rookie League, kids could practice their pitching and hitting, and play with video games, puzzles and radio-controlled cars. Nestle also sampled Baby Ruth bars outside Pittsburgh's PNC Park after the All-Star game, and put bars on pillows in MLB host hotels.

GMR Marketing, New Berlin, WI, handles the sponsorship and activation for Glendale, CA-based Nestlé.

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