How 'Empire State of Mind' fueled the Yankees' 2009 championship triumph
The New York Yankees won the 2009 World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies and a song became their source of inspiration. The "Empire State of Mind" was released on Oct. 20, 2009, and immediately became a hit.
It topped music charts all over the world and was nominated for two Grammy Awards. Almost every reviewer who reviewed it named it one of the finest songs of the year.
Alicia Keys' catchy, booming chorus and Jay-Z's superb lines, which featured New York City landmarks, turned the song into a hymn for the city. The song became a source of inspiration for the Yankees.
"That song was like our anthem," CC Sabathia said as reported by MLB.com. "It came out around this time in '09 and just kinda became the anthem of our season."
"Yeah, that was the anthem of our entire 2009 playoff run," Nick Swisher said.
"Empire State of Mind" was played live at Yankees World Series Game
The song became the Yankees anthem and the team's star Derek Jeter loved it as well and it became his walk-up song.
To boosten up the team's spirits, Keys and Jay-Z sang the song before Game 2. It occurred about 30 minutes before the Yankees took the field, with a sold-out crowd already there and both teams tensely seated in the dugouts.
Sabathia said that the song's inclusion at that time was undoubtedly a motivating influence. The Yankees treasured it dearly. Swisher added:
"Bro, I got goosebumps right now just thinking about it."
Of course, it didn't surprise anybody that New York natives Keys and Jay-Z were both thrilled to be chosen to play at Yankee Stadium during the Fall Classic. In fact, the latter even paid tribute to the late Joe DiMaggio days before gracing the stage.
The 2009 World Series was the 105th World Series and a best-of-seven playoff between the American League (AL) champion Yankees and the National League (NL) champion Phillies, who were also the defending World Series winners. With a 4-2 victory over the Phillies, the Yankees won their 27th World Series title.