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Everybody wishes they had a walk-up song. As Curtis Granderson once put it, “Where else do you get to approach your job and get to choose the music playing before you go ahead and do your work?
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“If you go to an office meeting, no one’s going to play music for you when you open that door up.”
That’s true.
The practice, which has its origins in the early 1970s, is now a part of the ballpark experience like peanuts and Cracker Jack. In this week’s version of MLB Tiers, we’re ranking the 30 greatest walk-up songs in history, from the classics to the inspired to the unexpected. Let’s begin.
I. The Hall of Fame
1. Mariano Rivera, “Enter Sandman” by Metallica
“Enter Sandman,” the opening track on Metallica’s 1991 self-titled album, is an overt reference to the sandman, a mythical character from European folklore who puts people to sleep. Rivera, meanwhile, is the best closer in the history of baseball. So from a purely thematic perspective, this is the perfect match. But it’s not just the words or the storytelling; it’s also the music. Other than perhaps “Hells Bells” — more on that in a minute — “Enter Sandman” has the ideal structure for a closer’s song: a slow, haunting intro with guitars, drums and more distorted guitars; a pulsating crescendo into full-blown rock.
The Yankees began playing “Enter Sandman” for Rivera during the 1999 season, a decision that was partly influenced by Padres closer Trevor Hoffman warming up to AC/DC’s “Hells Bells” — the Yankees and Padres faced off in the 1998 World Series, and the New York front office saw how Padres fans reacted to the song. (Another piece of trivia: All-Star closer Billy Wagner actually used “Enter Sandman” before Rivera did.) At one point, before “Enter Sandman” became a tradition, Rivera warmed up to “Paradise City” by Guns N’ Roses. That didn’t last. In time, “Enter Sandman” surpassed even “Hells Bells” as the ultimate walk-up song.
2. Trevor Hoffman, “Hells Bells” by AC/DC
On July 25, 1998, Hoffman, then a 30-year-old closer, jogged from the bullpen at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego as AC/DC’s “Hells Bells” blared from the stadium PA system. As Hoffman would say later, it took about five seconds for the crowd to go wild. He was moments away from notching his 41st consecutive save, tying an MLB record. He led the National League that season with 53 saves, and the Padres would win the NL pennant.
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Like Rivera and “Enter Sandman,” he would become synonymous with one piece from the classic rock canon. In the case of Hoffman and “Hells Bells,” the story goes that center fielder Steve Finley first mentioned the idea for a special entrance song. In 1998, closer songs were not quite a novelty, but they weren’t as pervasive as they are now. “Hells Bells,” meanwhile, was only 18 years old then — the opening track off AC/DC’s iconic 1980 album, “Back in Black,” their comeback effort after the death of singer Bon Scott.
3. Dick Allen, “Superstar” from “Jesus Christ Superstar”
If anyone gets credit for inventing individualized walk-up music for hitters, it might be Nancy Faust, a legendary White Sox stadium organist who pushed the use of a ballpark organ into the future, utilizing contemporary pop music during the game. In 1972, Allen joined the Chicago White Sox and won the American League MVP, posting a league-leading 37 homers and 1.023 OPS. During that summer, Faust began playing the title track from the 1970 rock opera “Jesus Christ Superstar.” The tradition caught on. “After all,” Faust said then, “a great many Sox fans think he is another Jesus Christ.” (That summer also gave us an iconic Dick Allen Sports Illustrated cover.)
Allen, of course, was one of the most feared sluggers of his era, a star who withstood many injustices in his career. During his best season, he inadvertently helped popularize the player-specific walk-up song.
4. Ken Griffey Jr., “Hip Hop Hooray” by Naughty by Nature
If Faust and Allen helped conceive the idea of the walk-up song, the Mariners organization ushered the practice into the mainstream, using the sound system at the old Kingdome to forgo organ introductions and turn to pop music. And in 1993, there was no bigger star in baseball than Griffey, who walked to the plate to the sounds of “Hip Hop Hooray,” the hit from rap group Naughty by Nature. The song choice — a perfect match of hip hop and generational star — was ahead of its time, predicting the future of walk-up songs. And its chorus was perfect for a stadium singalong. As Griffey said in 1993: “I just want something for the fans to get into.”
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II. Perfect anthems
5. Jeurys Familia, “Danza Kuduro” by Don Omar and Lucenzo
Familia’s days as a shutdown closer appear to be over. Since leading the National League with 51 saves in 2016, he’s never quite regained his peak form. And unlike the other two closers already on this list, he’s not going to the Hall of Fame. But this much is 100 percent true: No entrance song has ever been more fun than Familia’s choice of the Don Omar smash hit.
6. Jonathan Papelbon, “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” by the Dropkick Murphys
Sometimes you just had to be there: In the mid-2000s, there happened to be a strange convergence between Celtic punk, “The Departed,” and Papelbon closing out games for the Boston Red Sox. When the banjo and accordion hit …
7. Kenley Jansen, “California Love” by 2Pac, Roger and Dr. Dre
For now, Jansen has retired the 2Pac classic — which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Charts for two weeks in 1995 — but the charm of Jansen and “California Love” was similar to Papelbon, the Dropkick Murphys and Fenway Park. Imagine Dodger Stadium. A warm summer night. A West Coast classic blaring and one of the best closers in baseball taking the mound. What a vibe.
8. Tim Lincecum, “Electric Feel” by MGMT
The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly, then writing for The Mercury News, described the experience of watching Lincecum warm up to “Electric Feel,” a 2008 song from the synth-pop group MGMT.
“Its plush chords and poppy beat and slightly psychedelic vibe would fill up AT&T Park, drumming up anticipation for what the crowd knew it was about to see: a full-fledged baseball phenomenon, using his lithe frame and exploding off the mound to overmatch hitters who outweighed him by 100 pounds.”
Lincecum defined an era of Giants baseball, his long hair and freakish delivery delighting fans and bedeviling hitters. And while he eventually opted for another warm-up song, for a moment, “Electric Feel” felt perfect.
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III. Historically significant
9. Sparky Lyle, “Pomp and Circumstance” by Edward Elgar
The same year White Sox organist Nancy Faust started playing “Jesus Christ Superstar” for Dick Allen, the Yankees were busy looking for a way to drive interest in their struggling outfit. One way: a theme song for ace fireman Lyle. The club began playing “Pomp and Circumstance” — otherwise known as the graduation march — and while Lyle didn’t love it, the decision helped pioneer the use of entrance music for pitchers.
10. Chipper Jones, “Crazy Train” by Ozzy Osbourne
When Jones stepped into the box against the New York Mets during games in Atlanta, catcher Mike Piazza had a message. “I hate that freaking song,” he would say. That would be Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train,” a tune so synonymous with the Braves’ Hall of Famer that the organization once made a Jones bobblehead that played the song.
11. Chase Utley, “Kashmir” by Led Zeppelin
By this point, Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir” is such a cliche choice for a walk-up song that it’s easy to lose sight of how perfect it is to soundtrack a player stepping to the plate. According to Utley, the decision came early in his career, after consulting with his wife and sister-in-law, who is a musician. Utley thought the opening bars of the song felt dramatic and intimidating, which matched his playing style.
12. Eric Gagne, “Welcome to the Jungle” by Guns N’ Roses
In the evolution of closers’ entrance songs, it’s important to remember Gagne, who, like Utley, used a conventional and fairly predictable rock staple. Or maybe it just seems that way now. “Welcome to the Jungle” rocks. And it has always rocked. When the siren starts wailing, it sounds like something is about to explode.
13. Ricky Vaughn, “Wild Thing” by X
If Dick Allen and Sparky Lyle were pioneers of the genre, Vaughn, the closer of the 1989 Cleveland Indians, made the entrance song look cool. Nicknamed “Wild Thing,” Vaughn naturally warmed up to X’s version of the song “Wild Thing,” a 1966 garage rock classic from the English band The Troggs.
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IV. Forever memorable
14. Joe Mauer, “What You Know” by T.I.
When the Twins retired Mauer’s number in 2019, the rapper T.I. paid tribute with a video message and the Twins’ players presented Mauer with a special gold record of “What You Know,” his walk-up song for his entire career.
Oh, wow – it's T.I.!
What you know about that? #RESPEC7 #JM7 pic.twitter.com/GYt9ficoHv
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) June 16, 2019
15. Paul O’Neill, “Baba O’Riley” by The Who
The opening track on The Who’s 1971 album, “Who’s Next,” had a sweeping anthem — and synthesizer/piano intro — that was well suited for a walk to home plate. O’Neill was a key cog in the Yankees’ dynasty, which made “Baba O’Riley” a staple on national television each October in the late 1990s.
16. Lorenzo Cain, “Trap Queen” by Fetty Wap
“Trap Queen” reached No. 2 on the Billboard charts in May 2015, and Cain, then the Royals’ center fielder, adopted it as his walk-up song. The track became so popular in the clubhouse that it ultimately became the anthem of the 2015 World Series champions.
17. Anthony Rizzo, “Intoxicated” by Martin Solveig and GTA
Rizzo’s use of “Intoxicated,” by French DJ Martin Solveig and American electronic duo GTA, helped soundtrack the Cubs’ playoff run in 2016.
Anthony Rizzo's walkup song, "Intoxicated" by Martin Solveig, is like a Danza Kuduro-level crowd pleaser. It really makes Wrigley bop.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) October 29, 2016
18. CC Sabathia, “Big Poppa” by The Notorious B.I.G.
After he arrived in New York in 2009, Sabathia chose “Big Poppa,” the 1994 hit from Brooklyn rapper The Notorious B.I.G. It was a perfect match.
CC Sabathia making the walk to the mound to the thumping beat of "Big Poppa." He chose that song early in the '09 season and hasn't changed it.
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) October 10, 2018
V. Sportswriter favorites
19. Charlie Morton, “Palmetto Rose” by Jason Isbell
Morton is a skilled musician, and he’s on the record as saying his favorite songwriter is Isbell, a former member of the Drive-By Truckers who has crafted a successful solo career.
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20. Wilson Betemit, “Better Man” by Pearl Jam
Betemit was a bit of a journeyman during his 11 years in the majors but his walk-up song was an inspired bit of wordplay.
21. Todd Frazier, “Fly Me to the Moon” by Frank Sinatra
Did you know Frazier is from New Jersey? Well, so is Sinatra. You wouldn’t think that his 1964 version of the big band classic would necessarily put you in the mood to hit, but for Frazier, it was an ideal fit. Why? It helped him relax.
22. Paul Molitor, “Better Days” by Bruce Springsteen
Molitor, a future Hall of Famer, used Springsteen when he was playing for the Toronto Blue Jays. Kudos to him for not opting for the obvious Boss tracks — “Born to Run,” “Born in the USA,” “Dancing in the Dark” — and choosing something a little deeper in the catalog, though going with something off the 1992’s “Lucky Town” is a true contrarian’s move.
23. Lance Berkman, “God’s Gonna Cut You Down” by Johnny Cash
Many closers have warmed up to the haunting “stomp/clap, stomp/clap” of this Johnny Cash staple. But Berkman is the finest hitter to use it, and it felt apt for a native Texan who spent many years in Houston. Berkman would finish his career with 366 homers, 422 doubles, a .406 on-base percentage, 52.0 WAR and an under-appreciated Hall of Fame case. He also set a course for which Colter Wall’s “Sleeping on the Blacktop” could someday be a worthy walk-up song.
24. Ronald Acuña Jr., “La Romana” by Bad Bunny (Feat. El Alfa)
Bad Bunny, the Puerto Rican rapper and reggaeton star, could soon be this generation’s AC/DC. Which is to say: Prepare to hear his music at ballparks for years to come.
VI. Yes, they really used that song
25. Kendrys Morales, “In the Summertime” by Mungo Jerry
Morales, the former slugger, was famous for his eclectic taste in music. He loved working out to Elvis and Sinatra. But when he chose to walk up to the plate to Mungo Jerry’s 1970 hit, that had to be a first.
26. Shin-Soo Choo, “Regulate” by Warren G and Nate Dogg
This list wouldn’t be complete without a little more ’90s rap, and if we’re leaving off Bone Thugs-N-Harmony’s “Crossroads” (a walk-up staple), we at least have to give a nod to “Regulate,” which Choo used during his time with the Rangers.
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27. Yoenis Céspedes, “Circle of Life” from “The Lion King”
Céspedes’ time with the Mets didn’t end well, but perhaps that’s life. The circle of life.
28. Joey Votto, “Humble” by Kendrick Lamar
Votto loves Kendrick Lamar so much that sometimes he listens to him while mopping.
29. Koji Uehara, “Sandstorm” by Darude
A proposal: There should always be one closer in baseball who has to warm up to “Sandstorm.”
30. Francisco Lindor, “The Humpty Dance” by the Digital Underground
All right, stop whatcha doing … it’s been a few years since Lindor used the Digital Underground classic to stride to the plate, but after arriving in New York, and after the death of Shock G in April, maybe it’s time to dust it off.
(Photo of Mariano Rivera: Kathy Willens, Pool / AP Photo)
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