The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 3 of the World Series on Monday night, or Tuesday morning depending on which part of the country you were in.
The game went an incredible 18 innings, finally ending just before 3 a.m. ET and midnight locally in Los Angeles. Freddie Freeman was the hero for the Dodgers as he hit his second walk-off home run in the World Series in as many years in the bottom of the 18th to lead the Dodgers to a 6-5 victory. Shohei Ohtani was another star in the World Series as he hit two home runs himself and reached base an astonishing nine times thanks to four intentional walks, one natural walk, and four hits.
But the Dodgers and Fox Sports have someone else to thank for the instant World Series classic – renowned country singer Brad Paisley.
In an incredible stat that is somehow true, Paisley has been the singer of the national anthem for the two longest games in World Series history. Both were 18 inning games won by the Los Angeles Dodgers on walk-off home runs. The first one came in 2018 when Max Muncy hit a game-winning homer against the Red Sox. The second came in Game 3 of the 2025 World Series.
Also, the man behind hits such as “Whiskey Lullaby” and “Mud on the Tires” has made two other appearances as the singer of the national anthem at World Series games. And both of those went to extra innings as well.
It’s clear what Major League Baseball has to do from here. Brad Paisley needs to sing every national anthem in every postseason playoff game until the end of time. That’s the great thing about baseball, you just never know what incredible piece of history will arise out of nowhere. Eat your heart out, Tungsten Arm O’Doyle.
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