Fred FontzAs the season pushes on, we wanted to take a moment to pay homage to something that many people seem to forget about.
A player’s entrance music can set the tone for his at bat or his appearance as a pitcher.
There are a few guys who are famous for their career-long choice of a specific song. Other guys seem to change their song at will. We’ll look at both types of players.
We’ll also point out a few songs that show a sense of humor.
These are the best baseball walk-up songs:
Enter Sandman by Metallica
This is an easy number one on our list. It is the single greatest walk-up music in baseball.
Hearing “Enter Sandman” in New York became synonymous with Mariano Rivera coming in to shut the door.
It’s one of the most popular songs by one of the best bands ever and it was claimed by one of the greatest closers ever.
Technically, Rivera didn’t choose the song, but when that first note hit as you entered the bottom of the 9th, you knew it meant one thing – the game was over.
Like many of the great walk-up songs, this has a great beat and opening line. The drums bring the crowd to life and the guitar brings a sense of tension that gets inside a hitters head.
Hells Bells by AC/DC
This is another great song chosen by a legendary closer. It became the walk-out song for Trevor Hoffman early in his career.
It was recommended by one of the Padres clubhouse guys because he knew that Hoffman was a big fan of rock.
He says that the song itself isn’t what got him pumped. What pumped him up was how the crowd responded to the song.
He enjoyed the song itself, but it was the energy coming from the fans in the stadium that got him “into the zone”.
This has everything you want in an entrance song. The bells used in the opening are iconic and easily identifiable.
There’s a great rhythm from the guitar and the drums; and the song is easy to clap and cheer along with.
Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne
It seems like most of this list is going to be iconic rock songs. Ozzy provides the best hitter’s walk-up song that you’ll find.
Chipper Jones is one of the best players in MLB history. When looking at his career, it seems like Jones got a lot of things right; including his walk-up song.
Jones, understanding how short the audio clip for his walk-up music would be, chose something with a unique opening. It was something that could immediately get the crowd involved.
The Braves made the song even better by adding a siren to the music.
Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes
Seven Nation Army became a popular song in baseball when Stephen Strasburg started using it. It’s become one of the most recognizable sports songs around.
Many would say that it’s officially become a “jock jam”. Either way, the base line is an easy beat to follow and the pitch-shifted riff is the perfect song to bring fans to their feat.
Simply put, it is one of our favorite walk-up songs because it creates so much audience participation.
After Strasburg used the song, the Baltimore Orioles made it a cult classic that runs deep through Baltimore. The fans even added an “Oh” throughout the riff to make it their own.
If I’m being honest, you could get rid of the lyrics and this song would still be an amazing stadium-rocking tune. Some of its magic comes from its simplicity.
Narco by Blasterjaxx & Timmy Trumpet
If you’re watching Major League Baseball right now, you know about Edwin Diaz, the Mets, and Timmy Trumpet.
Diaz enters to a wonderful trumpet solo that brings the stadium to their feet. Players and fans alike love the music.
As Diaz and the Mets succeed, the 9th inning becomes a party. The entrance is such a big deal that the Mets have stopped cutting to commercial when Diaz enters in the 9th.
They’ve even been able to bring Blasterjaxx and Timmy Trumpet to the stadium to play the song live for Diaz as he enters. This is a great song that almost forces you to dance.
I’ve noticed that there are other teams who have started to use the song for their own players or as a part of the stadium music.
Don’t let that fool you, this song belongs to Edwin Diaz and Timmy Trumpet has made that clear.
Quite frankly, we think this is the best walk-up song to dance to.
I’m Shipping Up to Boston by Dropkick Murphys
“I’m Shipping Up to Boston” is a cult classic song in the Boston area.
The song itself is iconic but it’s the culture of Boston mixed with the high power of the song. The song is a true thrasher that embraces the Irish will to fight.
When Jonathan Papelbon was closing out games for the Red Sox, he was a fierce competitor who would stare through hitters before blowing the ball by them.
He could intimidate anyone who stepped in the box 60 feet and 6 inches away.
What really makes this special is the connection that it brought to Boston. Boston is a city built on the back of Irishmen and that’s exactly what Dropkick Murphys represent.
Hearing the opening fiddle and drum beats brought the entire stadium to their feet.
Dropkick Murphys created a gem that may be the most culturally significant walk-up song on our list.
Seek and Destroy by Metallica
“Seek and Destroy” was first used by Gordon Beckham; a journeyman utility guy whose career batting average is south of .240.
Making the list despite Beckham’s ineptitude shows how great Metallica is in this field.
Given how short the entrance song is for most players, there’s something about the riffs that Metallica starts their music with that makes them perfect for this genre.
As with the rest of their music, that guitar opening has a way of pulling out your adrenaline.
It’s a quick way to build up the crowd and it’s something that resonates as you walk to the plate as well.
Kashmir by Led Zeppelin
The driving riff of Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir” sounds like something straight out of professional wrestling.
In fact, a number of classic entrance songs for professional wrestling use the driving riff as a base for their music.
This was a common song among players. Scott Kazmir famously used it because it was so similar to his last name. The most iconic player that used this song was Chase Utley.
In the end, Chase Utley proved to be a superstitious player (which he proved many times over throughout his career).
Utley says that he had success after changing to “Kashmir” and he didn’t “want to screw it up” so he kept it.
While I’m not a huge fan of the lyrics in the song, the guitar carries the song, especially when it’s running at max volume over the speakers in a stadium.
Those opening few notes allow the fans to join in and go crazy. That’s the entire purpose of a walk up song – trying to get the fans to go crazy.
Conclusion
It goes without saying that, as a group, Metallica is the king of walk-up music in baseball. There are plenty of other Metallica songs that have been used.
We believe that a great walk-up song will bring the crowd to their feet, help a player get in the zone, and (hopefully) bring in some participation as well.
Whether you’re a closer coming in to shut the door on a game or a hitter hoping to knock the ball out of the park, a good walk-up song is crucial.
You’ll find that there is a variety of opinion on that sentiment. Miguel Tejada walked out to “As Good As I Once Was” by Toby Keith late in his career.
Troy Tulowtizki also played “The Sign” by Ace of Base after being accused of stealing signs.
Ultimately, a walk-up song should be something that is important to the player. Whether it’s a joke or something to help them focus isn’t our decision.
These songs add something to the atmosphere of a stadium. It’s even been depicted in movies with Ricky “Wild Thing” Vaughn coming out to the song “Wild Thing” in the movie “Major League”.
What’s your take on the greatest entrances of all time? Do you have a favorite that we missed?
