New York Mets Fans Sing ‘Piano Man’ to Billy Joel at the World Series

Last night (Oct. 31), Billy Joel was on hand at Citi Field to sing the national anthem before Game 3 of the World Series between the New York Mets and the Kansas City Royals. A few hours later, the crowd got to return the favor by singing “Piano Man” back at him.

As you can see in the video above, Joel, wearing a Mets cap, was seated in a box as the song begins. By the end, he’s up on his feet, singing along and waving to the crowd. It brought back memories of last year’s playoffs, where Steve Perry was leading the crowd in their nightly rendition of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” during the San Francisco Giants’ successful run in the playoffs.

Earlier this year, the Mets organization began playing the classic in the middle of the eighth inning. As David Newman, the Mets' senior vice president of marketing and communications, told Newsday, “Billy Joel's music is part of the soundtrack of every New Yorker's life. He's an iconic New Yorker. We wanted him to be part of our playlist during the games.”

It’s worked out well for the team. The Mets are in the World Series for the first time since 2000, when they were defeated in five games by their crosstown rivals, the New York Yankees. In the first World Series game played at Citi Field, their home since 2009, the Mets defeated the Royals, 9-3, but still trail in the best-of-seven series two games to one.

This was the first time the Mets have won a World Series game at which Joel has sung the national anthem. In 1986, the Mets lost Game 2 by a score of 9-3, although they defeated the Boston Red Sox in seven games. And in 2000, they lost Game 1 to the Yankees, 4-3, in a contest played at Yankee Stadium.

Joel also performed the last two concerts at the Mets' previous home, Shea Stadium, in 2008. They were chronicled in the 2010 documentary, Last Play at Shea.

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