It has been said that music is the universal language of humanity, and also the mediator between the spiritual world and that of the senses. It can be healing or stimulating, a caress for the soul or a trigger for impulses. There is something for everyone. In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, ESPN spoke with some of the best Latin American players in Major League Baseball today to try to weigh the impact that music has on their game and what are the preferred musical rhythms of MLB's second-most dominant race/ethnicity, since more than a quarter of major leaguers are Latino-born.
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Cuban flamethrower Aroldis Chapman tries to keep things simple when it comes to music. His entrance song is “La Gozadera” (“Good Time”), a catchy collaboration between Cuban duo Gente de Zona and Puerto Rican singer Marc Anthony. The New York Yankees closer thinks "La Gozadera" reflects the way he sees life in general. Chapman, who defected from the Cuban National team while in Rotterdam in 2009, has been one of the most dominant relievers in the Major Leagues since his debut in 2010, relying mostly on a high-powered fastball that, 12 years later, still clocks out at around 100 miles per hour. Chapman's other unseen weapon is music. The “Cuban Missile” says that the songs of Afro-Cuban singer Celia Cruz and even a collaboration by Mexican guitarist Carlos Santana were vital in helping him keep his mind clear.
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Carlos Correa walks out to two songs. One is “25/8” from Bad Bunny, which begins with the words, “Yo sigo siendo el mismo, yo no he cambiado.” The other is “Robert de Niro” from Mora, which talks a lot about leaving unfavorable situations. “I like songs that talk about where one came from, where one lived and how far one has come,” Correa said, “but without forgetting one's roots.” Hip-hop, trap and reggaeton dominate Correa's playlists when he's at the ballpark. After games, though, the pace slows, and Correa gets into sensual pop rock from the likes of Alejandro Sanz and La Oreja de Van Gogh. “I always spend my time telling the guys that no one knows more lyrics than I do, and they spend time putting on songs to see if I know them,” Correa said. “I like music in English and Spanish. I even like country. I like everything.”
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There might not be a more electric setting in baseball right now than ninth innings at Citi Field. A drumbeat begins, the bullpen door opens, Edwin Díaz emerges and a trumpet begins to blare as 40,000-plus fans take in “Narco,” a popular collaboration between Blasterjaxx and Timmy Trumpet. The people who run ballpark entertainment for the Seattle Mariners presented DÍaz with a list of songs in 2018, when he was their closer. “Narco” stood out because it was different. It traveled with him to Queens, N.Y., where it has become the anthem for one of the most dominant closing seasons in recent history. DÍaz selected the song because of the way of it, the style of music. When he's walking, the trumpets start to sound. That was what caught his attention; like, "Here he comes." And obviously, he's coming here and now. It's very cool.
a Mi Lo MÍo
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At 23 years old, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is one of the youngest MLB stars. However, when it comes to music, “Vladdy” is an old soul, by today's standards. To liven up his trips to the batter's box, the Hall of Famer's son chooses the merengue song "Dios me tiene a mi lo mío" (“God has for me what's mine”), from Dominican singer José Peña Suazo. The song is an exhortation to keep working and to trust that the reward will come sooner or later. For Guerrero Jr., each genre has an ideal time: Christian songs in the morning, fun songs in the afternoon, motivational ones during the game and celebratory tunes afterward. And for Guerrero Jr., music is almost like breathing. He doesn't do anything without music. For him, everything must be done with music. From old merengue to modern reggaeton. Every workout, every routine, has to be done with music.
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Yuli Gurriel's relationship with walk-up songs is very conditional. “If I'm doing fine, I don't change it,” Gurriel said. “But if it's going bad, I'll change it quickly.” As such, Gurriel isn't riding with any song in particular at the moment. Reggaeton is his default, though, usually something from Bad Bunny or Daddy Yankee. He likes coming to bat to music with high energy. It helps motivate him. Kyle Tucker usually plays the role as the Houston Astros' DJ in the clubhouse. But on planes and buses, it's Gurriel. The question, then, is whether the type of music he plays for teammates also changes depending on how the team is doing. “Of course!” Gurriel said. “One of the main things here is superstition.”
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Alejandro Kirk brings a significant piece of his past with him every time he goes to bat at Rogers Centre in Toronto. As soon as his name is announced, the drums begin, the trumpets blare, trombones and clarinets kick in and Alan Ramírez, lead vocalist for Banda MS, sings the popular song “El Mechón.” It's lively, fast-paced and upbeat. But it's more than that to Kirk. It's an homage to a childhood spent watching one of his favorite pitchers, longtime closer Mexican Sergio Romo, check into ninth innings to that song in MLB. And it's a nod to his native Mexico, where the banda genre is one of the most popular. But his history with the song is also curious. In his first spring training, he didn't remember what music he was going to go out to bat with. When he went to bat, that song came on, and the lyric stuck with him.
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Francisco Lindor is a man who likes to go with the flow, and it's no different with his walk-up music. Sundays call for salsa. On midweek day games, the New York Mets' shortstop will often summon the soothing words of Bob Marley. Fridays call for intensity and energy, and to Lindor that means his favorite genre of music, reggaeton, which often triggers popular Puerto Rican artists Bad Bunny, Daddy Yankee or Ozuna. For "Paquito," the music is very important. The two things that bring the world together without having to talk are sports and music, and he is a faithful believer in that, with a lot of admiration for artists. Like he says, he is the entertainment from 7 to 10, and they are the entertainment from 10 to 2 am. So, for him, that is something of admiration.
de la MamÁ
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Manny Machado, who turned 30 years old and reached 10 years of major league service during the current season, confesses to being a lover of the reggaeton rhythm, especially of Puerto Rican artists Bad Bunny and Daddy Yankee and Dominican dembow star El Alfa. For a second-generation Dominican born in the United States, it is normal for his catalog of favorites to include English-language performers such as Jay Z and J. Cole, among others, although most of the time he prefers Caribbean music, especially in the stadium. Machado, who is preparing to play with the DR for a second consecutive World Baseball Classic, thinks that music is vital for blocking out the tensions of daily life and the stress of playing ball at the highest level. He tried to be a clubhouse DJ once but was fired because he didn't play any "good songs." He only likes old ones.
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For most of his career, the legendary Dominican player Albert Pujols, “La Máquina,” who is an evangelical Christian, has come out to use almost exclusively Christian music for his at-bats. However, in his 22nd and final MLB season, his walk-up song is “Visionary” by Puerto Rican rapper Farruko, who in February announced his conversion to Christianity during a concert in Miami. Pujols, who came into the game when the starting pitcher of the day still chose the clubhouse music, has let his sons pick his walk-up songs during his two decades in the major leagues. He's focused on completing this season and taking the Cardinals as far as he can. And although Pujols is convinced that his job is not to be a clubhouse DJ but just be a ballplayer, when he listens to music, it's from Christian singers like Michael W. Smith, Third Day and Michael Tait.
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Juan Soto – whose OBP (.426) and OPS (.927) are among the highest in history for players 23 years old and under with 2,500 or more appearances – carefully chooses his walk-up songs, giving preference to songs and rhythms that charge him with energy and make him happy. From the classic merengue band Los Hermanos Rosario to the king of dembow El Alfa and rapper Bad Bunny, everyone has a place. More than selecting songs that say something about himself, Soto prefers melodies that announce his roots and with a Dominican Republic hallmark. He also understands that being a good hitter does not make anyone a good team DJ and, therefore, he leaves those matters in the hands of his teammates Manny Machado and Wil Myers. But it's not an obstacle for him to think about what kind of music will sound in the DR WBC team. The answer is easy: dembow.
Being the one in charge of playing the music (“disc jockey” or simply “DJ”) in the locker room of a major league team would seem like one of the easiest tasks for players who daily face the pressure of executing at the highest level against the best opposition in the world, but the role should not be underestimated or minimized -- quite the contrary.
A historical veteran like Albert Pujols, who is playing his last season before pressing the countdown button on the stopwatch that will mark his inevitable induction into the Hall of Fame, confesses that he has stayed far from the topic for the greater part of his career.
“I don't know how to do anything without music, everything has to be with music. Everything having to do with baseball must have music.”
But the testimonies of younger players, such as Manny Machado, Juan Soto, Francisco Lindor and Alejandro Kirk, to name a few, reflect upon how important it is for a team to have the right person playing music for the group.
The key is someone who perfectly understands the multicultural aspect of a locker room and who can find harmony and balance in the music that serves the rest.
Machado said several players rotate the role within the San Diego Padres' clubhouse, but OF/1B Wil Myers is definitely the head of that department. Cuban closer Aroldis Chapman pointed out that all kinds of music is heard in the New York Yankees' clubhouse: hip-hop, reggaeton, country, a bit of everything.
“I don't know how to do anything without music, everything has to be with music,” said Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Toronto Blue Jays. “Everything having to do with baseball must have music.”
Written by Enrique Rojas and Alden González. Translated and edited by Héctor Cruz and Jaime Vega-Curry. Interviews by Enrique Rojas, Marly Rivera, Guillermo Celis, Carlos Nava and Katia Castorena.
Produced by ESPN Creative Studio: Robert Booth, Chris DeLisle, Dominique DeMoe, Jessi Dodge, Jarret Gabel, Luke Knox, Joey Maese, and Rachel Weiss.
Illustration by Alejandro Parilla. Photo illustrations by Gluekit. Photography credits: Getty Images, Invision, AP, USA TODAY Sports, Newsday RM, Blasterjaxx, La Banda Gorda, Icon Sportswire, NBCU Photo Bank, WireImage, Film Magic. Song data courtesy of Spotify and Billboard.