Seventh-inning Stretch - Team Traditions

Team Traditions

Many teams will also play a local traditional song either before or after "Take Me Out to the Ballgame". Since the 1970s, the Baltimore Orioles have often played the raucous John Denver song "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" at the conclusion of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game". During the bridge of the song, in which Denver holds a long note, fans yell "Ooooooooh!" (since the name Orioles is often shortened to "O's".) The Atlanta Braves also sing this song after "Take Me Out To The Ball Game".

Jane Jarvis, the organist at the New York Mets' home Shea Stadium from 1964 to 1979, played the "Mexican Hat Dance" during the stretch. After the Mets switched to recorded music, "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" became standard. In recent decades, the Lou Monte tune "Lazy Mary" has followed it.

When the St. Louis Cardinals were owned by Anheuser-Busch, Busch Memorial Stadium organist Ernie Hays played "Here Comes the King", a commonly recognized jingle for Budweiser beer, during the stretch. On Opening Day, during playoff games and on "big nights" such as games against the Chicago Cubs, a team of Budweiser's mascot Clydesdale horses would also make a circuit of the warning track. Since Anheuser-Busch's sale of the Cardinals in 1996, "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" has been played in the middle of 7th inning, with "Here Comes The King" at the top of the 8th. Often, "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" is followed by an instrumental rendition of "Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis". The Clydesdales still appear on Opening Day and during the playoffs.

The Toronto Blue Jays take the term "seventh-inning stretch" literally, as Health Canada officials lead fans at Rogers Centre in stretching exercises while the club's song "OK Blue Jays" plays before "Take Me Out to the Ball Game".

The Miami Marlins, attempting to mimic the Blue Jays' exercising song in their inaugural year of 1993, created a group of dancers, some former University of Miami Sunsations or Miami Heat dancers, and called the group "The Seventh Inning Stretchers". At the first game this group came onto the field at the top of the 7th inning, and the crowd was encouraged to stand and stretch, and do a choreographed dance to Gloria Estefan's song "Get On Your Feet". The crowd, thinking it was the actual 7th inning stretch, booed loudly. The group appeared at the 2nd game the following evening, but was booed again and was never seen following that game.

After the Tampa Bay Devil Rays' 1998 home opener, they played the popular Jimmy Buffett song "Fins" after the 6th inning, rather than the 7th inning stretch. The grounds crew sent on the field after the 6th inning wore tropical clothing, and everyone in the park formed their arms into fins for the "Fins to the left, fins to the right" portions of the song. This tradition was dropped several years later.

Other clubs that traditionally play songs after "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" include; Cincinnati Reds (Twist and Shout - The Beatles), Milwaukee Brewers ("The Beer Barrel Polka - in reference to the city's beermaking heritage), Houston Astros ("Deep in the Heart of Texas"), Texas Rangers (Cotton-Eyed Joe), Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim ("Build Me Up Buttercup"), Seattle Mariners ("Louie, Louie" by The Kingsmen) and the Colorado Rockies (a cover version of "Hey! Baby"). The Washington Nationals choose to play "Shout" prior to "Take Me Out to the Ballgame".