The Best Walk-Up Songs of the MLB Championship Series
Because every game’s better with a soundtrack
We’re getting to the pointy end of the playoffs, where every at-bat could have season-altering consequences. That’s a lot of tension to handle. To relieve some of it, listen up for these if you’re at a game — or cue them up on your favorite music platform while you’re cheering from home.
Chicago Cubs
Ben Zobrist: Well, this is adorable. Zobrist’s wife Julianna is a Christian electropop singer, so he always uses one of her songs. Her latest? A Cubs-themed “Bennie and the Jets” cover (get it?). We know. It’s a lot. But you should listen to it anyway:
Anthony Rizzo: Again with the girl power, and we’re huge fans of this move: Rizzo likes to use T-Swift’s “Bad Blood” to get himself and the crowd pumped up.
Kris Bryant: Some of the first lines in Kris Kross’ “Warm It Up” are “Warm it up, Kris!” “I’m about to!” This whole rap is just Bryant talking to himself, isn’t it.
Cleveland Indians
Not only are Cleveland’s pitchers ace at their jobs, but they also have crowd-pleasing taste in music. Corey Kluber takes the mound to that band you hear in all the commercials, X Ambassadors — specifically, their song “Jungle.” Bryan Shaw comes out to sports arena classic “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark” by Fall Out Boy, while fellow reliever Andrew Miller uses actual classic “Beat It” by Michael Jackson.
L.A. Dodgers
We couldn’t decide which of Clayton Kershaw’s walk-up songs to feature, so he gets all three songs for the Dodgers. He’s got a pretty eclectic playlist, and we love it all: “No Diggity” by Blackstreet, late ’80s groove “Pump Up The Jam” by Technotronic and fun.’s “We Are Young.”
Toronto Blue Jays
Russell Martin: The Canadian-born catcher has recently been using Canadian-favorite band The Tragically Hip’s song “Courage” in support of the Hip’s lead singer Gord Downie, who’s battling terminal brain cancer. Awwwwww.
Kevin Pillar actually put his walk-up song up to a vote: His teammates narrowed the choice to five songs, and the public did the rest. The winner? Twenty One Pilots’ “Ride,” chosen by Ryan Goins.
Troy Tulowitzki: “I’m the man, I’m the man, I’m the man…” You started singing already, didn’t you? You’ve heard it in every other sports-related context and you’ll hear it here too: Tulo’s been known to use Aloe Blacc’s “The Man” for his at-bat confidence boost.
Bonus: R.A. Dickey may not be in the Jays’ lineup, but he might have the most epic music of all: The Game of Thrones theme.
(FYI: Walk-up songs are subject to change at team/player discretion.)
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