MINNEAPOLIS — "Take Me Out to the Ballgame” is one of the most popular songs in baseball.
But now that seventh inning stretch classic is getting a new sound.
And a Minneapolis man is part of the change.
Lewis McCaleb competed in the MLB Remix powered by SoundCloud national contest and won. As the grand prize winner, he receives a trip to Cleveland for the All-Star Game and other festivities. Plus, he will perform his version of the song at PLAY BALL PARK.
McCaleb, who is known in the music industry as Lewiee Blaze, created the lyrics for the song. His friend, McKinley West, created the beat. The two will travel to Cleveland together.
On its contest page, MLB says the entries were evaluated by a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame committee and judged on creativity, instrumentation, and performance.
McCaleb, 21, said he normally writes lyrics first. But this time was different.
He walked into a recording booth and freestyle'd. He was able to record the song at the High School for Recording Arts in St. Paul.
McCaleb says the remix pays homage to what already existed but is “beefed up with a hip-hop sound.”
West, 18, said adjusting the time signature was a challenge. He listened to the original version of the song for about two hours trying to determine chord structure.
McCaleb said he was surprised when he received a call from a MLB spokesperson letting him know he won.
“I feel like this was our home run. I didn't think I would win,” he said adding life has thrown him some curve balls. “I've entered in competitions before and I have always lost.”
McCaleb uploaded the song via SoundCloud. You can hear his tune here.
McCaleb said his first experience at a baseball game was in 2017. Then, he worked for a Minneapolis based cleaning company.
Now, he is looking forward to attending a game as a performer and lifting fans.
“Music is important during the game because it is a real energy boost,” he said. “It gets everybody excited, especially the players.”