If you are a fan of the New York Mets, you have a lot to be happy about. The New York Mets play in the 2016 off-season again.
The Soundtrack of a Sweep
While sometimes overlooked, a team’s walk-up music helps to frame a player’s performance. For the 15 seconds a player has to advance from the on-deck circle to the batter’s box or from the bullpen to the pitching mound, the walk-up music is the only chance that player has to psych himself up, to get the crowd behind him, or to intimidate his opponent. For most players, the walk-up song is a serious part of the superstition of play, requiring debate and deliberation about its choice and blind adherence should it yield positive results.
“I don’t know if you’ve seen that one U.F.C. movie with Kevin James in it,” d’Arnaud told The New York Times, referencing the comedy “Here Comes the Boom.” “The teacher talks about how in war they used to play their battle songs to get you ready for the war. And for me, that moment, that’s my war with the pitcher, so I need something to get me hyped up and get me ready to go out there and see a baseball coming at me at 95 miles an hour.”
While the idea of personalized entrance music for baseball players is a relatively new one – popularized in the movie “Major League” – it has become as quintessential a part of the way fans relate to and identify their favorite players as the players’ jersey numbers themselves.
As the Mets await the winner of the ALCS, we have prepared a New York Mets playlist, including the favorite walk-up songs of the batting and relief pitching squads.
The New York Beat
Reflecting the multiculturalism of the Mets and New York City in general, Latin music dominates the Mets’ walk-up music list. Alex Torres (El Vega’s “Te Encontre”), Dilson Herrera (El Barbero’s “Si La Vieran Bailar”), Juan Lagares (Jay the Prince’s “Mas Flow Que Dinero”) and Juan Uribe (Marc Anthony’s “Vivir Mi Vida”) have all indicated – according to MLB.com – that their favorite walk-up songs are Latino in flavor.
This differs from the league, where hip-hop/rap rules the walk-up charts, with rock closely following. As for the the Mets, nine of the favorite walk-up songs are Latino, seven are hip-hop/rap, and five are rock.
While there is no scientific correlation between type of music and performance, it is safe to say that players who feel good in the batter’s box will perform better.
Explaining to The New York Times his choice of “0 to 100 / The Catch Up” by Drake as his walk-up music, Travis d’Arnaud says, “Because when I walk up to the plate, it makes me feel really good.”
As the Mets move one step closer to claiming their first World Series title since 1986, one thing is assured: The team’s victories will be staged by its players’ entrance themes. When fans reflect on this season, it will be the walk-up music that helps to frame the memories of this amazing run.
Mets fans can watch the game at McFadden’s Restaurant & Saloon @ Citi Field, Flushing, New York
Update: find other MLB teams’ player walk up songs at the MLB Walk Up Songs application at Fanatics
Sources:
- http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2015_10_17_chnmlb_nynmlb_1#game=2015_10_17_chnmlb_nynmlb_1,game_state=Wrapup
- http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/02/sports/baseball/enter-sound-man-an-insiders-look-at-baseballs-walk-up-music.html?_r=0
- http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/fan_forum/ballpark_music.jsp?c_id=nym
- http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/nlcs-game-4–mets-cubs-postseason-015324987.html
- http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-juice/6634545/mlb-walkup-songs-drake
- http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/13531246/walk-music-sets-tone-baseball
- http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2581549-daniel-murphy-sets-mlb-postseason-record-with-home-runs-in-6-straight-games
- http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2581472-mets-vs-cubs-nlcs-game-4-live-score-and-instant-reaction
