Baby shark’s baseball influence has crossed the Pacific

With the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down sports in the US, there are other countries that have been in better position to get their league’s started. That includes baseball in Japan where former Washington Nationals fan favorite Gerardo Parra is currently playing.

Parra is playing on the Yomiuri Giants this season after helping bring a World Series title to Washington in 2019. There are many stories of how Parra’s arrival helped loosen the locker room after a 19-31 start (well documented in the book Buzzsaw by Jesse Dougherty). But, one antic that caught on across the fan base, city, and even nation was Parra’s walk-up song, “Baby Shark.” Well, it’s back and this time in Japan.

The “Baby Shark” crossover to Japan! @88_gparra’s first at bat with the Yomiuri Giants pic.twitter.com/SC5oLYBCw3

— Marly Rivera (@MarlyRiveraESPN) June 19, 2020

I feel like I can safely say that if there were fans in the stands in Japan, they would be following suit in participating doing the shark chomp during the song and Parra’s walk to the batter’s box.