Edwin Diaz and the Seven Greatest Reliever Walkout Songs of All-Time
New York Mets' closer Edwin Diaz has cemented himself as not only one of baseball's most effective closers, but also for having one of the best relief pitcher entrance songs ever.
In 2022, he has been nearly untouchable, with a 1.40 ERA and 99 strikeouts through 51.1 innings pitched.
On top of his excellent on-field performance, he's also mastered the art of ballpark entrance music.
Some players can't nail the walk-up song, but when a player does, their entrance into the game can quickly become one of the best experiences in sports.
When Mets fans hear 'Narco' by Blasterjaxx and Timmy Trumpet, they know what's coming: the most dominant relief pitcher in baseball.
A walkout song becomes even more iconic when the song becomes synonymous with an individual player. Even nearly a decade after his retirement, baseball fans still think of Mariano Rivera when they hear Metallica's 'Enter Sandman.' At some point Rivera himself became 'The Sandman.'
Very few players are able to become synonymous with their walkout song. Some choose songs that are nearly impossible for them to claim as a part of their identity.
San Francisco Giants' reliever Brian Wilson opted for House of Pain's 'Jump Around' which made for a fun experience at Giants games, but not a rare experience. If anything, 'Jump Around' is synonymous with the Wisconsin Badgers — not the former All-Star closer.
Here's a look at the seven greatest reliever entrance songs.
7) Kenley Jansen: 'California Love' — Tupac Shakur
Jansen rocked 'California Love' for nearly a decade in southern California. We give him points for choosing a song that 1) is original and 2) ties in nicely with the city and area he pitches in. I had the privilege of attending a game at Dodger Stadium in 2015, and when 'California Love' started playing, we knew exactly who would be coming out of the bullpen.
Jansen changed his song when be became a member of the Atlanta Braves in 2022, but held true to having a song that represents the local area. He now comes out to 'Welcome to Atlanta' by Jermain Dupri.
6) Jonathan Papelbon: 'I'm Shipping Up to Boston' — Dropkick Murphys
Sometime after the 2006 best picture The Departed made it to theaters, Papelbon made the Dropkick Murphys' hit song his entrance music. If you ever want to see tens of thousands of Bostonians going bonkers, play this track. Papelbon recently claimed 'I'm Shipping Up to Boston' as the best walkout song ever.
“Everybody wants to talk about Diaz these days,” Papelbon said on “The Bradfo Sho” podcast. “I gotta let some of these people know where the walk-out song came out, and who is No. 1 all-time. When you hear ‘Shipping Up to Boston’, you know what’s up.
"No question, [I'm Shipping Up to Boston] is the best of all time. You gotta look at a lot of different things when it comes into play. No. 1 – the fans. The fans in Boston, they went nuts. Yankee Stadium with [Mariano Rivera] was all great and everything but it didn’t have the same effect.”
5) Trevor Hoffman: Hell's Bells — ACDC
Hoffman is one of the most iconic San Diego Padres in team history, and whenever they hear this song, it should bring San Diegans back to warm summer nights when their hero would emerge from the pen, ready to shut the door. When you heard 'Hell's Bells', you knew it was 'Trevor Time.'
4) Eric Gagne: 'Welcome to the Jungle' — Guns 'n Roses
Something about this song mixed with just how dominant Gagne was for a period of time in the early to mid-2000s makes this track wildly intimidating.
After moving to the bullpen after two years as a starting pitcher, Gagne was the most dominant closer in the game from 2002 through 2004. In 2003, his 1.20 ERA and 55 saves won him a National League Cy Young, and no reliever has won a Cy Young since.
It's a great song that sets the tone of, 'Are you sure you really want to step into the batter's box and face this guy?'
3) Edwin Diaz: 'Narco' — Blasterjaxx, Timmy Trumpet
'Narco' is the epitome of a 'ballpark experience.' The drums start pounding and you know somebody is lurking. Then the trumpet sounds, with Mr. and Mrs. Met pretending to play along, and every fan at Citi Field stands to their feet, claps and probably can't help but rhythmically dance along.
We'll put Diaz third, for now, with the potential to move up in the future. 'Narco' is still new. It's something fans outside of New York are just now catching onto. As his legend continues to grow, he very well may climb higher up this list.
2) Mariano Rivera: 'Enter Sandman' — Metallica
Rivera somehow became 'The Sandman', despite sharing the walkout song with another elite relief pitcher from his own era! Former Astros, Phillies, Mets, Red Sox and Braves' lockdown closer Billy Wagner used 'Enter Sandman', compiling 422 career saves with a career 2.31 ERA.
Wagner never overshadowed Rivera, and to this day, the sport's all-time greatest closer's walkout song remains synonymous with his fabulous big league career.
1) Rick 'Wild Thing' Vaughn (and Mitch Williams and James Karinchak): 'Wild Thing' — X
While ballpark entrance music and walk-up songs had been used prior to the release of Major League, the classic 1989 film popularized the usage of walkout songs, which became a trend that quickly swept through Major League Baseball. 'Wild Thing' was a trend-setter. Sometime after the film, 'Wild Thing' Mitch Williams began running out to X's cover of the Troggs' classic song, and the rest is history.
'Wild Thing' is synonymous with not only a Charlie Sheen movie character, but also one of the best sports movie scenes. Most recently, Cleveland Guardians' reliever James Karinchak adopted the walkout song, along with Rick Vaughn's number 99. It isn't a gimmick either. Karinchak is a real-life Rick Vaughn. Just watch him pitch.
I attended an Indians game last summer in Cleveland, and when Karinchak took over in the eighth inning, I felt like I had time-traveled 30 years and suddenly become an extra in Major League's climactic scene. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced. I would be totally okay if, after Karinchak's time is up with Cleveland, there is a Guardians' high-leverage reliever that wears number 99 and comes out to 'Wild Thing' at all times. 'Wild Thing' has every right to be a Cleveland tradition the way 'Sweet Caroline' is a tradition at Fenway Park.
