The 2024 World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees looked like it was shaping up to be an evenly matched affair between two of MLB’s premier franchises after a Game 1 for the ages.
Freddie Freeman’s walk-off grand slam in the ninth inning of Game 1 seemingly changed the entire course of the series with a single swing. The Dodgers went on to handily win Game 2 and Game 3, but Freeman may not have been the only person to shift the tide of the series in the Dodgers’ favor.
The Dodgers invited Ice Cube for a pregame performance that helped to set the tone in Game 2 as the crowd was galvanized before Yoshinobu Yamamoto threw his first pitch of the game.
With the series moving to the Bronx for Game 3, the Yankees countered with a performance from Fat Joe, but the result was not great.
In an appearance on Foul Territory, Max Muncy shared the reactions were in the Dodgers’ dugout during each performance and how it affected each game:
“I don’t think too many guys knew that the Ice Cube thing was going to happen. So when it did happen, we were all like, ‘Oh man, this is pretty sweet.’ And then Ice Cube killed it. It was unbelievable. He sounded so good, the whole stadium was vibing to it, you could hear it clearly. It was great.”
“Then we get to New York, and out comes – I’m not going to call him Fat Joe because he ain’t fat anymore – out comes Joe, and you couldn’t hear anything he was saying, you couldn’t hear the lyrics, the music was kind of muddled. It just sounded terrible. Even if it was pre-planned, like both of those things planned together, it kind of felt like they were trying to copy us. Right out of the gate we felt good about the game just because of that whole debacle.”
The difference in the series between the Dodgers and Yankees came down to the fundamentals and attention to detail. From Muncy’s point of view, that extended to off the field preparation as well.
Whether or not it actually gave the Dodgers a tangible advantage in Game 3 is kind of a moot point. The most important thing is that it gave the Dodgers dugout the confidence to believe they were going to win, and that showed up on the field.
The Dodgers then invited Ice Cube back to perform at their World Series celebration at Dodger Stadium following their parade through the streets of L.A.
Ice Cube’s World Series performance for Dodgers a dream come true
Ice Cube is an L.A. rap icon, best known for his work with the hip-hop supergroup NWA and transitioning into a very successful solo career. NWA was a leading trailblazer in the genre and left an enormous impact on West Coast hip-hop.
The Dodgers called upon him to get the stadium’s blood pumping before first pitch a he was up to the challenge, walking out from center field while performing “Bow Down” and the iconic “It Was a Good Day.”
A well-known LA sports fan, Ice Cube described the opportunity to perform at Dodger Stadium a “dream come true.”
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