NEW YORK — Move over, Baha Men, and step aside, Timmy Trumpet. Candelita is coming — that is, New York Mets infielder Jose Iglesias.
The tradition of musicians coming to Mets games and performing songs associated with the team took a unique turn Friday night when Iglesias sang his song “OMG” following a 7-2 win over the Houston Astros in front of 32,465 fans at Citi Field.
“New York City!” Iglesias yelled as he walked to shortstop, a position he has played 1,016 times in a 12-year major league career. “Let’s keep the party going!”
The dancers accompanied Iglesias for more than a minute, after which his teammates — many of whom were wearing “OMG” shirts — stormed the field and surrounded him, raising their arms while chanting “Oh My God!” Sean Manaea held an “OMG” sign aloft while Harrison Bader, Starling Marte and Mark Vientos captured the performance on their cellphones.
“It’s hard to explain how I feel,” Iglesias said in the locker room, where Jeff McNeil and Francisco Lindor were still singing. “It was a big deal. Singing in front of great fans and seeing your teammates running out there is a dream come true.”
Iglesias is a lifelong music fan who wrote the song “OMG” — which he told SNY earlier this week was an attempt to “maximize the potential for joy” — and used it as his walkup song when he was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse on May 31.
His new teammates immediately took a liking to Iglesias as well as his song, which is played at Citi Field after every Mets homer and win. Since he joined the team, New York is 17-6 and rose above .500 on Friday for the first time since May 2.
“It’s amazing — I think it’s going to be a huge deal for him,” Mets starting pitcher Jose Quintana said. “It’s great to be a part of it.”
“And the way we’re playing, I expect to hear that song at least once or twice every game.”
The song was released on all streaming platforms on Friday, a week ahead of schedule.
“I think it’s a special occasion,” said Mets manager Carlos Mendoza, who wore an “OMG” shirt to his pregame news conference. “You have an active player who’s also releasing a song that’s becoming very popular.”
Now the Mets will hope for better luck for Iglesias and the rest of his teammates following the concert.
The Baha Men performed “Who Let the Dogs Out?” – the national anthem of the NL champion Mets – before Game 4 of the 2000 World Series, but Derek Jeter hit a home run on Bobby Jones’ first pitch a few minutes later and the Yankees won the next two games to win their third straight title.
On August 31, 2022, saxophonist Timmy Trumpet played the entrance song “Narco” for closer Edwin Diaz as Diaz jogged in for a save opportunity against the Los Angeles Dodgers. While Diaz threw a perfect ninth inning to close out a 2–1 victory, the Mets squandered a three-game NL East lead in September, lost the division title to the Atlanta Braves and were eliminated in the wild-card series.
Iglesias, who is hitting .389 in 36 at-bats, said he wouldn’t have sung the song Friday if the Mets had lost.
“How many emotions were there? So many,” Iglesias said. “The way my teammates reacted and the fans and everything that’s happening — it’s a perfect storm and I’m just happy to be a part of it.”
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