Play me a song: Braves organist charms fans, amuses players

ATLANTA (AP) — Matthew Kaminski had intended to play a Grateful Dead song as the walk-up music for Houston's starting pitcher at the World Series.

Luis Garcia. Jerry Garcia. Get it?

Then, after getting a glimpse of the rookie pitcher's unique wind-up against the hometown Atlanta Braves, Kaminski was suddenly stricken with a bit of inspiration.

“Listen to this,” he said, flashing a mischievous grin, his hands stirring eagerly on the keyboard.

As the Astros' Garcia strolled to the plate in Game 3, Kaminski broke into a playful version of “Rock-A-Bye-Baby” — the perfect musical accompaniment for a rookie right-hander whose extended wind-up has been compared to someone rocking a child.

“I came up with that on the spot,” Kaminski would explain later, providing a quick primer on his quirky process for working out the melody to songs at a moment's notice. “There are times when I get to play a song for the first time in front of 40,000 people."

There are plenty of stars at this World Series, from Freddie Freeman to Jose Altuve, but let's give a shout-out to the bespectacled, 44-year-old jazz lover sitting behind the Hammond SK2 organ at Truist Park.

He has no ambitions of being a star — “when someone goes into jazz, they're not thinking of becoming famous” — but Kaminski has pulled off an impressive musical feat.

He’s made the organ cool again.

Kaminski's eclectic taste in music, and his witty selections when opposing players come to the plate, have made him a bit of a cult figure around the suburban Atlanta ballpark.

Even Braves players pay attention to the songs Kaminski is playing for the other guys.

“I do notice it,” outfielder Adam Duvall said. “This guy is unique.”

A devoted band of social media followers eagerly await...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Play-me-a-song-Braves-organist-charms-fans-16578505.php