Actor Bill Murray is a massive Chicago Cubs fan and has spent considerable time at games. He isn’t currently able to attend due to COVID-19 concerns, but he did lead the virtual crowd in an iconic singalong on Opening Day. Murray screamed the lyrics to “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” in a video filmed from his home.
Marquee Sports posted the clip on Twitter, showing Murray clutching an oversized stuffed bear. “All right everybody! We gotta hear you sing! We want to hear you all the way out to the center-field scoreboard!” Murray shouted to the camera. He then belted the lyrics to the longtime baseball anthem while clutching the bear. When he counted the strikes, he moved the bear’s arms up and down.
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Bill Murray with the 7th inning stretch! pic.twitter.com/JDTmnKOAbF
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) July 25, 2020
“Cubs win!!!! Bill Murray was awesome during the 7th inning stretch!!” one fan tweeted after watching the video. Many others weighed in and proclaimed that having the longtime actor singing on the jumbotron provided some sense of normalcy for fans. They couldn’t attend the game, but they could still watch Murray during the late stages of Opening Day.
The Cubs started the season on the right track, defeating the Milwaukee Brewers 3-0 and creating excitement among MLB fans. The opening weekend continued on Saturday afternoon with a second game against the Brewers. This set the stage for the Cubs to finish off a three-game series on Sunday. Victory in all three games was not certain, but the fans felt that Murray could provide the needed boost.
Murray drew considerable attention during the 2016 World Series as the Cubs competed with the Cleveland Indians for the title. He crashed a White House press briefing to talk about his favorite team and conducted a singalong in the stands with Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder. Murray even sprayed champagne in the Cubs’ locker room after they secured the World Series victory.
Prior to the World Series, Murray proved that he isn’t a bandwagon fan. He competed in the BMW Championship Pro-Am at Conway Farms in 2015 and showed off a unique look. Murray wore a blue flannel shirt and a bucket hat, pairing them with bright red and blue Chicago Cubs-branded shorts. The outfit didn’t match, but the fans proclaimed that they didn’t care. Their favorite team won while Murray wore the shorts, and they were ready for the trend to continue.
