How 24 Grammy-Winning Legend Jay-Z Propelled the Yankees to Win the 2009 World Series
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NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 04: (L-R) Andy Pettitte #46, Jorge Posada #20, Derek Jeter #2 and Mariano Rivera #42 of the New York Yankees celebrate with the trophy after their 7-3 win against the Philadelphia Phillies in Game Six of the 2009 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium on November 4, 2009 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Pool/Getty Images)
The New York Yankees are one of the best teams in baseball. They have a glorious history of 27 World Series titles, the last being the 2009. It was a special title after it marked the end of the Yankees’ eight-year absence from the podium. In the words of Captain Derek Jeter, it was all about the team. But according to the latest report, the journey would have been different had 24 Grammy Award winner Jay-Z did not help the Yankees.
Given that winning a title needs strength, determination, and motivation, the Yankees had everything except motivation. And then the musical voice of Jay-Z helped the Yankees to find it. His famous song became the team’s anthem in their title pursuit.
Song Empire State of Mind Gave the New York Yankees Much-Needed Motivation
The New York Yankees had passed the test of the regular season and were on the last hurdle to win back the Championship. They were facing the Philadelphia Phillies, one of the best teams. The first game of the ultimate test gave a tough pill to swallow for the Yankees with a 6-1 loss.
And now all eyes were on the rest of the games left in the series, with a crucial second game. And with pressure mounting from each, the Yankees were going through the most. But everything changed after they listened to the song, “Empire State of Mind”, especially at their stadium.
According to MLB.com, “Jay-Z’s masterful verses became an inspiring song for the city’s most famous team: The Yankees.” The same was the feeling of CC Sabathia, who called this song the team’s anthem, “It came out around this time in ’09 and just kinda became the anthem of our season.”
Nick Swisher, who was part of that team, added, “This was the boost we needed in the right direction. Not only was it them just coming out and performing, it was New York coming together as one. It was crazy. You felt the energy shifting.”
Evidently, it changed it all for the Yankees, who won the series with a 4-2.
The Yankees Recovered From the Loss to Win the 27th Title
It was the most crucial series in the Yankees’ modern history. They were without the World Series title for almost a decade then. But they had this opportunity to win it, and the Yankees did the same by overcoming the poor loss in the first game. They won the three games on the trot to register a solid 3-1 lead. It was big for the Yankees, as the loss in the fifth game of the series could not deter their pursuit.
And with a 7-3 win in the sixth game, the Yankees claimed the championship, completing the 27th title win. The stars of it were Jeter and Hideki Matsui. Both the players average more than the league stage, with Matsui, averaging an astonishing 0.615, followed by Jeter with 0.407. They contributed eight runs and three HRs, giving the much-needed boost in the finals. And the role of Jeter as captain was much bigger. He performed it brilliantly by adoring the team anthem as the team win the series with 4-2.
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Though from the looks of it, the story looks very real but could have been very much different had Jay-Z not performed in the Bronx. What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments.
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Written by:
Edited by:
Deepanshi Bajaj