Video: Metallica’s Kirk Hammett Played the National Anthem at a San Francisco Giants Game

It’s been a weird start for our Mets this year, eh? After a fiery fight to 13-2 record, things have leveled out a bit following two implosions from the previously near-perfect bullpen. As a Mets fan conditioned by 36 years of mostly mediocre-to-bad teams, I was always expecting the worst even during that miraculous winning streak, so this just feels like a return to the norm. Still, they’re in first place and generally playing good ball… but it’s a looooong season with more than five months left. All I really ever ask for is meaningful baseball in September, so hopefully we get that.

I’m not really sure what’s going on in San Francisco this year — I did see the Giants landed Andrew McCutchen in the off-season — but the sense I get is that fans aren’t too optimistic. At least there’s this: in keeping with tradition, the team held its sixth annual Metallica night last night, Monday, April 23rd, which featured guitarist Kirk Hammett playing the National Anthem (in previous years Papa Het joined for a duet — maybe he had a prior engagement of bear hunting scheduled), a portion of ticket sales donated towards the band’s All Within My Hands foundation, and Lars Ulrich throwing the ceremonial first pitch.

Kirk may not quite have the mojo of Jimi, but at least Lars didn’t pull a 50 Cent! Watch below.

[via Blabbermouth]