Long time umpire and crew chief Joe West, when he’s not on the baseball field, is an accomplished singer and songwriter. West has released two country music albums: Blue Cowboy in 1987 and Diamond Dreams in 2008. He has performed at the Grand Ole Opry and has performed alongside such talents as Merle Haggard and Mickey Gilley.
The Dodgers decided to have some fun with West, who was behind home plate for Sunday’s game against the Braves. Per Alanna Rizzo of SportsNet LA, for their first at-bats of the game, the Dodger hitters used West’s tunes as their walk-up music. They switched back to their usual stuff after their first cuts.
West’s music might have been a motivator, as the Dodgers scored in each of the first five innings to take a 9-2 lead. They would go on to win 12-6. Corey Seager homered twice after drilling three homers on Friday.
Whose idea was it to use West’s music? None other than second baseman Chase Utley, per SB Nation’s Ryan Walton.
