ARLINGTON, Texas — Elvis Andrus started his 11th season for the Texas Rangers with a catchy new walk-up song — followed by three hits, including a home run, in his first three at-bats of the season.
“Baby shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo,” reverberated through the ballpark when Andrus, the 30-year-old shortstop who is the team’s longest-tenured player, walked to the plate against the Chicago Cubs on Thursday.
He lined a single to left-center field in the first inning, launched a 398-foot home run to right-center field in the third and lined a single to left in the sixth. He grounded out to short in his final at-bat in the ninth inning to finish 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored. The Cubs won 12-4.
Andrus said “Baby Shark,” a ubiquitous, infectious kids song about a family of dancing sharks, is a favorite of his 20-month-old son, Elvis Jr.
“If you don’t like it, you better get used to it. It’s not going away,” Andrus said earlier this week. “Hopefully ‘Baby Shark’ can hit well. … At least get me one hit a day. It’s going to stay.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.