1964 classic serves as the walk-up music for New York shortstop Francisco Lindor
The Temptations opened Game 5 of the National League Championship Series at sold-out Citi Field Friday with a rendition of “My Girl,” which this season has served as the walk-up music for New York Mets’ shortstop Francisco Lindor.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-inducted R&B group — which still features founding member Otis Williams, the last surviving original Temptation — performed their classic, Smokey Robinson-co-written 1964 sing moments before first pitch, with the Mets faithful turning it into a stadium-wide singalong. The group also sang the National Anthem.
The performance perhaps helped power the Mets, who were facing elimination, to a 12-6 victory over the Dodgers, forcing a Game 6 and a return to Los Angeles.
Following an early season slump, Lindor started using the unlikely walk-up music — which became the fixture of his MVP-worthy 2024 season — as a tribute to his wife and two daughters.
“Last year I changed the song every single day,” Lindor told the Associated Press. “I changed it because it was the song I was vibing to at the moment and it took off. I don’t know if it’s because I started hitting or because we started winning or because the song is good.”
The shortstop, who went 2-for-4 Friday with an RBI and two runs, added, “Most players, they pick a walk-up song just because that’s how they feel in the moment but they also want the fans to vibe to to the song. Whenever you see the whole crowd getting into it, I think it’s pretty cool.”
Ironically, in a pregame interview, Otis Williams admitted that he’s actually a Dodgers fan, despite the group’s Motown roots. “Tigers is flimflam,” the 83-year-old singer said. “I’m still a Detroiter at heart, even though I’m in LA.”
