Dodgers: Kimbrel is Keeping New Walkout Song, But Not for Superstitious Reasons

Dodgers closer Craig Kimbrel isn't superstitious. He just doesn't want to mess with something that's working.

You might think that's a distinction without a difference, and you might not be alone in that assessment, but for Kimbrel, it's more about "consistency," as Bill Plunkett writes in the Orange County Register.

Kimbrel wouldn’t be the first ballplayer unwilling to tamper with a good streak. But he shakes off suggestions that he is superstitious, saying “but I like to keep things the same if they work.”

Told that kind of sounds like a definition of superstitious, Kimbrel disagrees, saying, “No – it’s consistent.”

The consistency we're talking about here? Kimbrel's walkout song, which changed from Guns N' Roses' "Welcome to the Jungle" to Idina Menzel's "Let It Go" (from the movie Frozen) about three weeks ago. What started as a gimmick — the song was chosen by Kimbrel's wife, Ashley, and four-year-old daughter, Lydia, to celebrate Women's Day at Dodger Stadium — has turned into a real phenomenon at the ballpark.

And the new walkout song has coincided with a stretch where Kimbrel has looked much more like the dominant closer the Dodgers thought they were acquiring when they sent AJ Pollock to the White Sox in a March trade. Other than two walks in his second inning of work in a game in Miami, Kimbrel hasn't allowed a baserunner since changing his music. And for that reason, he's going to keep it.

“Why not?” Kimbrel said of sticking with the new song. “That and I also saw what it did all around. The fans loved it. Guys in the clubhouse loved it. I’m going to keep it because of that.

“Plus – scoreless innings help.”

Kimbrel and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts don't really believe the song is the difference. They both recognize that Kimbrel's command has improved greatly, allowing him to use his elite fastball and devastating curveball more effectively.

But the music is staying, not because of superstition, but because of the old saying: If it ain't broke, don't fix it.