Baseball fans were left split on Saturday night when a champion whistler performed the national anthem ahead of the Orioles-Giants game.
Chris Ullman is a member of the whistling Hall of Fame, and performed a quirky rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” prior to Baltimore’s 6-2 home win.
And fans online were left divided by the distinctive performance.
“This. Is. Awesome,” one wrote on X.
“If there were ever someone who belongs in the Whistling HOF – it’s that guy,” another added.
And a third said: “That has to be the most unique rendition of the nation anthem in all of sports and I say that whole heartedly.”
However, while Ullman got a brief cheer from the crowd at Camden Yards, others who viewed a clip of the moment — which now has over 500,000 views on MLB’s X account — weren’t as impressed.
“Dude pitchy AF. I could smoke this dude at whistling,” one cracked.
“Didn’t even hold the final note in tune. I’m all for creativity but this ain’t it,” another said.
According to Ullman’s website, he has whistled the national anthem at Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards, Washington Nationals and Duke men’s basketball games as well.
It even says he once “serenaded” former President George W. Bush at the Oval Office, and that Ullman whistles “Happy Birthday” to more than 650 people per year.
After his memorable performance on Saturday, the Orioles improved to 7-7 on the year behind home runs from Gunnar Henderson and Jeremiah Jackson.
Chris Bassitt also allowed just one earned for the hosts run in 4 ⅔ innings pitched, while Giants starter Logan Webb allowed four earned runs in six innings in his team’s loss.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
