The next time you tune into a World Series game and see that Brad Paisley is singing “The Star-Spangled Banner”, you might want to start brewing some coffee and making plans for a late night/early morning.
Brad Paisley singing a World Series national anthem guarantees a lot of extra innings
If Brad Paisley is singing the National Anthem before a World Series game, get comfortable.
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Mark Schofield is a former college quarterback and attorney covering the NFL and F1.
Paisley sang the national anthem before Monday night’s marathon 18-inning Game 3 of the 2025 World Series, won by the Los Angeles Dodgers on Freddie Freeman’s walk-off home run in the bottom of the 18th inning. The 6-5 win for Los Angeles gives the Dodgers a 2-1 lead in the series over the Toronto Blue Jays.
It was not the first time a Paisley National Anthem at Dodger Stadium before a World Series game ended with extra innings.
The country star sang the national anthem before Game 2 of the 2017 World Series between the Dodgers and the Houston Astros at Dodger Stadium. That game needed ten innings to determine a winner, with the Astros scoring a pair of runs in the top of the 11th -- on a home run from George Springer, who currently plays for the Blue Jays -- to take a 7-6 win.
Paisley was also part of the pre-game ceremonies before Game 3 of the World Series the next season. On that night, the Dodgers played host to the Boston Red Sox, and more than seven hours after Paisley’s national anthem, the Dodgers got a walk-off home run from Max Muncy in the bottom of the 18th to win by a final score of 3-2.
At seven hours and 20 minutes, Game 3 of the 2018 World Series remains the longest World Series game in MLB history. Interestingly enough, that was longer than the entirety of the 1939 World Series, which lasted seven hours and five minutes. The New York Yankees swept the Cincinnati Reds that year.
Last year, Paisley sang the National Anthem before Game 1 of the World Series between the Dodgers and the Yankees, again at Dodger Stadium.
Los Angeles won that game 6-3 in the bottom of the tenth, on a walk-off grand slam from Freeman.
Then came last night. While last night’s Game 3 is now the second-longest World Series game in history, it also means that Paisley has performed the national anthem ahead of both of those games.
So the next time you see Paisley walk to the microphone to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” before a World Series game, get comfortable.
It might be a long night.
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