Country music icon Brad Paisley recently earned a new moniker, calling himself “Mr. More Baseball” after he set the stage for some of the World Series’ longest nights. His performances of the national anthem have become a good luck charm of sorts for extended baseball battles, as two games in which he sang stretched to an epic 18 innings, each securing a place in championship history.
Brad Paisley and the Epic 18-Inning Games
On a historic Monday night at Dodger Stadium, Brad Paisley kicked off the World Series Game 3 with a stirring rendition of the national anthem. The Los Angeles Dodgers faced off against the Toronto Blue Jays, resulting in one of the game’s longest battles. The Dodgers clinched victory after 18 innings, only to cede to the Jays in Game 4, where they captured a 6-2 win.
Paisley’s remarkable record of playing at games that go the extra mile continued. Previously, he performed at three other marathon matches in Los Angeles: Game 2 in 2017, which lasted 11 innings; Game 3 in 2018, also a record-tying 18 innings; and Game 1 in 2024, which stretched to 10 innings. His latest appearance added another chapter to this storied series of extended matchups.
Paisley Reflects on His Unlikely Streak
Paisley humorously reflected on the uncanny pattern, telling The Associated Press, “Last night around the 16th inning, I was going, ‘There’s no way this is happening again.’” He described the surreal feeling of witnessing yet another marathon game and even joked about being available for “football games, too. If anybody wants, you know, another quarter or two out of their team.”
The country star embraced his newfound persona, declaring, “I should be ‘Mr. More Baseball.’ There’s the new nickname.”
Star-Studded World Series Games
The extended games during the World Series didn’t just draw baseball fans. Game 4 in Toronto attracted a plethora of celebrities, including Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, LeBron James and his wife Savannah, Donald Glover, and Tinashe. The previous night, pop sensation Justin Bieber, clad in full Jays regalia, went viral after giving a thumbs-down to a Shohei Ohtani home run, highlighting the celebrity-filled excitement surrounding the games.
As “Mr. More Baseball” continues to be a charm for extensive baseball showdowns, fans and players alike may wonder just how long the next game will last when Brad Paisley takes the mic again.
