On a night that's all about hitting a pitch, Ingrid Andress couldn't quite tee one up in her national anthem performance at the 2024 Home Run Derby.
The country music singer-songwriter and four-time Grammy nominee performed the Star Spangled Banner on Monday night in front of a sold out Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas and with a national TV audience watching on ESPN. It did not go well.
Before the performance was even over, social media was abuzz with reactions to a performance that was, shall we say, uneven.
Astros beat writer Michael Schwab summed it up by saying, “My ears are bleeding. One of the worst national anthem renditions ever.”
Note he said “one of.” To be fair to Andress, it was not the worst. In baseball circles, it drew comparisons to Roseanne Barr, who murdered the national anthem at a Padres game in 1990. Others remembered Fergie's infamous performance at the 2018 NBA All-Star Game.
“I’m so sorry, I’m sure Ingrid Andress is a wonderful person, but that was one of the worst national anthems I think I’ve ever heard in my whole life,” SI's Alex Carr wrote.
With the Internet piling on Andress, it's worth noting a few things. One, she got the words right. Yes, that's a low bar, but it's one that many singers still fail to clear. Anyone who regularly attends sporting events can attest.
For another, she is actually a talented singer. What happened on Monday is still unexplained, but this isn't some nobody. Her 2019 single “More Hearts Than Mine” peaked at No. 30 on the Billboard Hot 100. “Wishful Drinking” peaked at 47. She also co-wrote a song with Charli XCX.
So Andress may not be Taylor Swift, but she's not someone Major League Baseball brought in off the street. The Southfield, Michigan native released her debut album, Lady Like, in 2020 and followed that up with Good Person in 2022.
Alec Bohm could barely hold it together
Adnress' Star Spangled Banner was the most viral moment of the Home Run Derby, but Alec Bohm's reaction to it isn't far behind. ESPN cameras panned across the field as Andress was singing, and when it landed on the Philadelphia Phillies third baseman, he could be seen doing his best to contain his laughter.
To the credit of the other players, most seemed to hold it together for what is supposed to be a serious, patriotic moment. From TV, it was difficult to tell the crowd reaction, though there appeared to be a mix of boos and cheers.
The broadcast didn't mention Adnress' performance at first, but eventually, ESPN's Karl Ravech had to get a quick dig in. A few moments after the anthem, he alluded to it by saying the Orioles' Gunnar Henderson nailed his Scooby Doo impression, while there were “other parts of this evening that haven’t been nailed.”
After that, however, it was business as usual at the Derby, as the best hitters in baseball took centerstage. Two-time champion and betting favorite Pete Alonso flamed out early, while Bohm advanced to the semifinals before falling to Teoscar Hernandez.
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