Down 2-0 in their American League Championship Series with the Yankees, the Guardians have their work cut out for them if they hope to rally back in the series. But with potentially three games in Cleveland, Progressive Field is absolutely going to be rocking.
And if the Guardians have their way, superstar closer Emmanuel Clase will have an opportunity to take the field in front of a home crowd … walkout entrance and all. But fans shouldn’t expect a tribute to the movie Major League and Ricky “Wild Thing” Vaughn in real life.
Back in Game 5 of the Guardians’ ALDS win against the Tigers, TBS built up Clase’s entrance with some absolutely cinematic camera work. The broadcast showed his slow walk down from the bullpen, to the gate and onto the field — all while X’s “Wild Thing” played in the background – perfectly timed with his walk. It seemed electric, and viewers were actually disappointed that TBS cut to commercial. There’s just one thing about that …
The baddest man in baseball. Emmanuel Clase. This gave me chills — "Wild Thing" #CyYoung #ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/OJmPL20dzx
— Roberto Shenanigans (@Rob_Shenanigans) October 12, 2024
That wasn’t what people in the stadium actually heard.
The “Wild Thing” audio was a production decision from the TBS crew rather than something the stadium played. Clase instead stuck with his regular walkout music, which is a mashup of Lil Wayne’s “Fireman” leading into “Di Di Di” by Braulio Fogón.
What we saw (and heard) in the Game 5 broadcast was just some TV magic.
