Since debuting as Gerardo Parra’s walk-up song in June, the viral children’s tune took on a life of its own, evolving into an infectiousgood luck charm for the Nationalsthemselves and the baseball fans, who embraced the track with everything from hand motions to Halloween costumes.
“She started putting on music, and I saw her dancing, happy, like 20 times [she put it on],” he says.
Parra, 32, headed to the clubhouse later that day, intending to tell the team that he wanted to change his walk-up song.
It didn’t take long for the infectious song to gain the stamp of approval from Parra’s teammates, and soon, many were telling the MLB star he was their kid’s favorite player.
Gerardo Parra.
One even joined him in the dugout during several post-season games, and he now keeps it in his pocket as a good luck charm.
Patrick Semansky/AP/Shutterstock
For now, Parra says he’s still soaking up the team’s victory tour, which included aparadein Washington, D.C. and avisit to the White Houseto meet the president and first lady, something he calls a “special moment.”
“This is history. I don’t want to wake up [from] that dream. I think I want to stay,” he says. “All the team together, it’s family, it’s not like 25 guys. It’s only one name.”
Though several of his teammates — includingpitcher Sean Doolittle— opted not to attend the White House visit, Parra says his trip was entirely apolitical, and that he saw it as following in the footsteps of every other team who won a big championship.
Gerardo Parra with his wife Tania and daughters Aaliyah and Emma at the White House.
“I respect whatever my teammates do,” he says. “I still love my teammates … I just respect everybody and I’m happy if [they decided] to go or not.”
source: people.com
