Brad Paisley: The Country Star Who’s Become Baseball’s Marathon Man
Brad Paisley has somehow become the unofficial patron saint of World Series overtime. And honestly? I’m not even mad about it. How did he add to his lore last night?
The Paisley Curse (Or Blessing?) Strikes Again
Monday night’s Game 3 between the Dodgers and Blue Jays went 18 grueling innings, ending at nearly 3 AM Pacific time with Freddie Freeman’s walk-off bomb. The game lasted 6 hours and 39 minutes, which is longer than most people’s work days. And guess who kicked off this baseball marathon? Our boy Brad Paisley, belting out “The Star-Spangled Banner” like he was summoning the baseball gods themselves.
Here’s where it gets absolutely bonkers: This was the fourth time Paisley has performed the anthem at Dodger Stadium before a World Series game, and all four have gone to extra innings. I mean, come on! What are the odds?
The Track Record That Defies Logic
Let’s break down Paisley’s ridiculous resume of extra-inning anthems:
- 2017, Game 2: Astros beat Dodgers 7-6 in 11 innings
- 2018, Game 3: Dodgers beat Red Sox 3-2 in 18 innings
- 2024, Game 1: Dodgers beat Yankees 6-3 in 10 innings
- 2025, Game 3: Dodgers beat Blue Jays 6-5 in 18 innings
The man is 4-for-4 on extra innings! That’s like hitting for the cycle four times in a row. Statistically speaking, this shouldn’t happen. Yet here we are, watching a country music star accidentally become baseball’s most reliable predictor of sleepless nights.
When Paisley Sings, Pitchers Suffer
Monday’s marathon saw the Dodgers burn through 10 pitchers, including Clayton Kershaw coming out of the bullpen like it was Game 7 of the NLCS. Will Klein threw four scoreless frames in extras, probably wondering how he ended up pitching past midnight because a guy who sings about mud on the tires decided to show off his vocal range.
The Blue Jays? They left 19 runners stranded—a World Series record that nobody asked for but everyone got anyway. Combined with the Dodgers’ 18 stranded runners, that’s 37 total, which also set a new “Fall Classic” record. Thanks, Brad.
The Freeman Factor Keeps Paisley Perfect
Here’s the beautiful irony: The Dodgers are now 3-1 in games where Paisley performs the anthem. Freeman has delivered two of those wins with walk-off homers—the 18-inning beauty Monday night and last year’s walk-off grand slam against the Yankees. Max Muncy provided the other walk-off magic in that 2018 thriller against Boston.
Paisley himself seems to get a kick out of his bizarre baseball legacy. “There’s some footnote in a baseball almanac that I did that anthem,” he said to MLB Network before Monday’s game. “Which is really fun.”
At this point, if I’m Rob Manfred trying to speed up baseball, I’m putting Paisley on the “Do Not Call” list for future World Series games. But if I’m a Dodgers fan? I’m buying this man season tickets and hoping he shows up to sing “Sweet Caroline” during the seventh-inning stretch.
