Baseball may be America’s favorite pastime, but baseball songs put a modern twist on the game. Although improvised songs began in the early 1970s, fans and gamers didn’t pay much attention to them until the 1990s.
pop-up songs show a player’s personality and style. fans pay attention to the music choices of their favorite players, with many hoping to sing along to the short music clips. The best baseball songs show the player, and these 27 do it better than any other.
1) the gardens, “your love” (charlie blackmon)
Any fan who has been to Coors Field knows what to do when Charlie Blackmon is ready to bat. the outfield (which is a perfect name for a band with one of the best baseball songs) created the perfect song to sing along to.
When the entire stadium yells, “tonight,” in the middle of the song, you know that not only is Blackmon a favorite player, but his song does its job of pumping up the fans and the bearded outfielder.
2) metallica, “enter sandman” (mariano rivera)
Mariano Rivera is a class act, and his song defined his role with the New York Yankees. Like the sandman, Rivera laid down opposing hitters. The Yankees’ marketing team knew what he was doing when he chose this iconic rock song for the greatest closer in the history of the game.
rivera knew how to milk every inning as he walked slowly onto the field from the yankees bullpen. he created the moment with the help of this great song.
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3) the notorious great, “great daddy” (david ortiz)
good rhythm. memorable. perfect name “big poppa” after the notorious b.i.g. It was the ideal promotion song for Red Sox bopper Big Daddy. The song bounced heads around the stadium, and it seemed to work for Big Papi, who ended his 20-year career with 541 home runs.
4) guns n’ roses, “welcome to the jungle” (randy johnson)
randy johnson was a terrifying pitcher for opposing hitters, so welcoming them into his jungle was fitting. It was hard to escape the jungle or the diamond when Johnson was on the mound. he certainly brought several hitters to their knees.
5) moby, “flower” (bryce harper)
When bryce harper showed off his physique on the cover of espn magazine in 2015, it was clear he was an expert at fitness challenges that rely on “flower” for their beats and instructions. the song has an unusual sound, which is appropriate for any harpist at bat, as the balls fly differently in the southpaw’s unique swing.
6) kendrick lamar, “humble” (manny machado)
Sometimes a good song makes fans laugh. especially when the song has a bit of irony, like manny machado choosing a song titled “humble”. Machado isn’t humble, but he does know how to make his enemies stop talking about him. he continues to demonstrate his strength on the field and his prowess with the bat.
7) kris kross, “warm it up” (kris bryant)
when your name is kris, why not use a song that tells you to cheer up? Because Kris Bryant always has a bat that is heated up and ready to do some damage. Kris Kross gets the crowd jumping, even if they only hear a few bars of the iconic tune.
8) dj snake/lil jon, “reject why” (justin upton)
It’s no secret that stadiums are not only perfect for ball games, but also for concerts. Hearing the voices of DJ Snake and Lil Jon at an MLB stadium shows why performing at one is reserved for the best of the best. It’s easy to see why this song pumps up everyone in the stands, especially heavy hitters like Yasiel Puig, Justin Upton, and Justin Turner.
9) ozzy osbourne, “crazy train” (chipper jones)
some improvised songs, such as rivera’s “enter sandman”, should be removed as they are historically linked to hall of fame players. “crazy train” belongs to chipper jones and no one else. The Atlanta Braves even made a wacky train of Jones walking out with his bat on his shoulder to commemorate the song and Hall of Fame.
10) ac/dc, “stunned” (noah syndergaard)
Several baseball players have used this rock tune for their cover song, but none more perfectly than noah syndergaard. Fans affectionately refer to Syndergaard as “Thor” due to his golden locks and how he throws like the Norse god throws the hammer at him. Since Thor was the god of thunder, he certainly would have used the AC/DC song if he had also played ball.
11) eminem, “until I collapse” (justin verlander)
Anyone who’s seen Justin Verlander throw knows he won’t stop until he collapses. But what makes his cover song even better is that the former Detroit Tiger chose a song by one of Detroit’s favorite sons. There’s even a perfect spot for Verlander to put her hand in his glove every time he made a tackle on him in the first inning.
12) rick ross “hustlin'” (j.d. martinez)
when rick ross declares that “every day i’m in a hurry”, everyone in the stadium listens, as the booming voice echoes through the speakers. While Martinez might be one of the most humble men in the game, there’s no question that when he comes to bat, he shows that he puts in more effort than most other players.
13) ac/dc “hell’s bells” (trevor hoffman)
closers come in when their teams are winning. Then, AC/DC’s “Hell’s Bells” went off, the losing team knew they would face a pitcher from hell. The tolling of bells came as a clear warning that Hoffman was on his way. this is another song that should be retired, just like the hoffman number.
14) dmx, “party (up here)” (joe kelly)
joe kelly brings the party wherever he goes, so this party anthem is a great song for him. opposing hitters just don’t know when he’s “going to lose his mind” or when he’s going to throw a pitch “in here.” Interestingly, Kelly, who doesn’t hide her emotions from him, used his song to inspire some chin-up music “in here” when he faced the stars in 2020.
15) led zeppelin, “kashmir” (chase utley and scott kazmir)
It’s all about the riff of this song, which brings a warning that something big is coming. And, like Kris Bryant and Big Papi, it’s fitting that Scott Kazmir chose a song that’s very close to his last name.
16) red hot peppers, “can’t stop” (anthony rizzo)
Whether the song is about punching or smiling, rizzo can’t help but do either. As one of the faces of the Chicago Cubs, it’s a great song about the player and his team who just can’t stop winning.
17) rick ross, “luxury tax” (torii hunter)
torii hunter’s style and attitude didn’t need a song, but the meticulous way she chose the “luxury tax” exemplifies how she approached her game. hunter chose the lyrics, “they say i couldn’t play baseball at all/and now every day of my life i play”. It’s a great lyric with a perfect song rhythm.
18) ram jam, “black betty” (ian kinsler)
ian kinsler has three new songs on the list, showing how in tune the retired second baseman is with the music. I may not have much of a connection to it, but the guitar riff and up-tempo beat could lift anyone’s spirits.
19) naughty by nature, “hip hop hooray” (ken griffey, jr.)
the kid had a perfect song for the 1990s. he was the player of the 1990s, and his cover song helped them become mainstream. The fans could sing along, which of course pumped Griffey up even more. Like Rivera, Hoffman and Jones, this is another song that should be permanently enshrined in the baseball hall of fame.
20) don omar and lucenzo, “kuduro dance” (jeurys family)
Starting pitchers and closers get a little more head start than hitters. when don omar’s deep, penetrating voice and kuduro dance sounded, fans knew familia was walking to the mound ready to close out the game. the rhythm of the dance certainly encouraged the pitcher, who was dominating in his day.
Don Omar’s memorable voice was a popular pick among gamers in 2018. Familia wasn’t the only gamer to pick his songs, as Mike Trout, Anibal Sanchez, and Marwin Gonzalez were all fans of Mr. eat too.
21) x, “wild thing” (ricky vaughn)
He may be a fictional baseball player, but when “Wild Thing” blasted through the speakers at Cleveland Stadium, the fictional fans went wild along with Ricky Vaughn. this song is forever linked to the big leagues and charlie sheen.
22) stevie wonder, “superstition” (ian kinsler)
Kinsler’s second appearance on this list comes from his perfect choice of songs for his time in Detroit. Like Verlander, Kinsler chose a song from another of Detroit’s favorite sons, and it turns out that baseball players are incredibly superstitious.
23) frank sinatra, “fly me to the moon” (todd frazier)
Baseball players typically choose rap, hip hop, or rock songs as their opening songs, so when the iconic singer plays over the speaker, fans take notice. Todd Frazier, affectionately known as the boys’ father by his fans, handpicked the chairman of the board to help him relax at the plate. the song also helped inspire him to hit home runs to the moon.
24) bad bunny, “la romana” (ronald acuña, jr.)
bad bunny brings a fresh musical style to the ballpark, just like the new generation of young baseball players have done with their games. With its smooth opening and then powerful rhythm, it’s easy to see why the Roman is Acuña’s choice. Bad Bunny has become a popular performer for several stellar baseball players, including Miguel Cabrera, Rafael Devers, Javier Baez, and Gary Sanchez.
25) nelly, “here comes the boom” (randal grichuk)
this song should belong to nelson (nelly) cruz, aka “boomstick”, but it’s not his. Instead, it belongs to Randal Grichuk of the Toronto Blue Jays, and he was once a Cardinal. nelly is a street. native louis, so it’s fitting that grichuk kept the tune to showcase his early career. Grichuk can hit the long ball, announcing to the fans that the “boom” is coming for him.
26) pinkfong, “baby shark” (gerardo parra)
The iconic and somewhat annoying “baby shark” song will always be connected to one man and one season. Gerardo Parra may not have led the Washington Nationals to the 2019 World Series title, but he certainly got the fans pumped. when his song came on, the crowd went wild, singing and clapping as if his hands were shark teeth.
The phenomenon of the vine and the baby shark became so ingrained in the 2019 season that the nationals had a video to accompany the song. They also sold equipment such as caps and t-shirts emblazoned with the national logo, the shark and the vine. fans even wore shark fins on their heads to show their affinity for the team. check out our list of the best songs with a baby in the title below.
27) white stripes, “army of the seven nations” (ian kinsler, stephen strasburg, jose Iglesias)
Kinsler’s final appearance on the list features another Detroit gang: the White Stripes. Kinsler alternated between the Wonder and the White Stripes to present his at-bats at Detroit. Interestingly, his former double play partner, Jose Iglesias, adopted the song when he left Detroit.
The song is so powerful that the 2019 World Series MVP used it as his opening song, proving that a seven-nation army (or the Houston Astros) couldn’t stop him. Truly, Seven Nations Army is one of the best baseball songs of all time.
conclusion
An improvised song can become as iconic as the player who chose it. some walk-up songs will always be associated with moments, locations, and players. At stadiums like Coors Field and Nationals Park, fans want to participate in the moment of walking, joining their favorite players in singing or clapping.
other songs, such as those by mariano rivera, ken griffey jr. and randy johnson, define their storied careers and everlasting memories. players today think seriously about their songs because they know that fans pay attention to them. Players want their walks to become part of the ballpark experience, and they have great options for baseball walk songs.
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