In the past, we’ve seen plenty of baseball players select strange songs for their walk-up music. Whether it’s Hunter Pence using “The Circle of Life” or Bryce Harper using Frank Sinatra. New York Mets third baseman Wilmer Flores, however, has set the bar pretty high with his latest walk-up song selection.
During Sunday night’s game versus the Washington Nationals, Flores came to the plate with The Rembrandt’s hit and Friends theme song “I’ll Be There For You.” The song — and the show — hold a special place and Flores’ heart, so this choice seemed perfect for the third baseman.
Here it is, in all its glory: Wilmer Flores waling up to the "Friends" theme song pic.twitter.com/SCJfs88OeH
— Kenny Ducey (@KennyDucey) September 5, 2016
As you can hear in the video, the off-the-wall song selection seems to have gone over well with Mets fans. They even get into the song and clap at the right part. Glad to see New Yorkers weren’t too snobby to watch the show and know the theme song.
Flores’ interest in the show “Friends” dates back long before his time in the Majors.
The story begins in Savannah, Georgia, where a teenage Wilmer Flores, playing minor-league ball for the Mets, found comfort in tracking the lives of a bunch of 20-somethings living in Manhattan. That he had nothing in common with the people on the screen meant little to Flores, who was fighting homesickness after leaving his native Venezuela.
“It’s one of my favorite shows,” said Flores, who, like many, became a fan of Rachel Green, portrayed by Jennifer Aniston. “I watch it every day before I go to sleep. It’s on Netflix. It’s on Nick at Nite every night.”
Flores, 25, has seen all 236 episodes, so his homage Sunday was no surprise. It’s the show that wound up becoming his gateway into learning a whole new culture.
Flores’ decision to honor his favorite show isn’t his only weird moment in New York. If you don’t remember, Flores was the guy who was crying on the field during the 2015 trade deadline after he thought he was traded away from the Mets. The Venezuela native ended up staying with New York, and he ended up receiving some jabs for his emotional outburst.
Flores said he plans to keep “I’ll Be There For You” as his walk-up song when the Mets return home Sept. 16 against the Minnesota Twins. However, Flores is also receiving an offer from another throwback pop culture icon: the Backstreet Boys.
Hey Wilmer, we hear you want it that way!! Love being reminded of what music can do. https://t.co/UWMo503t8q
— Backstreet Boys (@backstreetboys) September 3, 2016
Looks like Flores will have to make a decision pretty quick. If it were me “I’ll Be There For You” would win in a landslide. Hopefully Flores feels the same way.
[Deadspin]
