The story behind Twins closer Jhoan Duran’s fiery entrance songs that light up Target Field

The debate about the song of the summer in Minnesota may have already ended in April, at least for Twins fans.

No song will delight Twin Cities crowds more regularly in the summer of 2024 than the walk-on music that plays every time Twins closing pitcher Jhoan Duran takes the field.

It doesn’t matter that most fans don’t know the title of the song or who it’s by – or that it’s actually a mix of two songs.

The torchlight ceremony, which Sports Illustrated calls “the best performance in baseball,” begins with the loud ringing of a large church bell and a message to fans on the video boards: “Turn on your phones.”

Then the stadium’s concourse lights go dark. A 360-degree array of fiery images flashes on Target Field’s LED video screens as fans hold up their cellphone flashlights. Finally, the door to the bullpen deep in the outfield opens and out comes Duran, usually at a cool, measured pace that casts doubt on the speed of his 105-mph fastballs and the intensity with which he throws.

On his way to the hill, the 26-year-old slinger from the Dominican Republic struts to the tune of “El Incomprendido,” a 2021 hit by Puerto Rican rapper Farruko.

By the time he hits the hill, the music has usually already morphed into another current hit: “Hot” by another Puerto Rican rapper, Daddy Yankee, in collaboration with Miami dance-pop producer Pitbull.

The story behind the fusion of these two pieces of music is a hybrid narrative of modern Latino pop music and a dash of Minnesota marketing know-how.

“I think this is another sign of how much Latin music has taken over the American mainstream scene,” said DJ Skee, who mixed the two songs for the Twins, “just like Latin players have become such a big part of Major League Baseball.”

Skee, aka Scott Keeney, was born in St. Paul and his music can be heard in sports stadiums around the world. He says he still gets excited when he gets to mix music for Minnesota teams, even though he lived in Los Angeles for 20 years. Working on Duran’s performance was particularly exciting, he added, but it also brought its challenges.

“It’s not a typical stadium entrance song or audio moment,” the DJ said.

“The timing had to be perfect, from the moment the lights go out to the moment he steps onto the hill, and the two songs had to fit together just right.”

There is an explanation why two songs were used and not just one.

It turns out that Duran liked the idea of ​​using Farruko’s song for his big performance, but the father and family man was intrigued by the theme of “El Incomprendido.” The lyrics of the song – the title means “The Misunderstood One” – refer to smoking a hookah and drinking tequila.

“He wondered if it fit with what he stands for,” said Dustin Morse, the Twins’ vice president of communications. “He was involved and had his input.”

It was Morse who came up with the idea of ​​recruiting Skee to combine the Farruko song with the Daddy Yankee hit, blending the questionable lyrics. He praised the work done from there by a wide range of the Twins’ front office personnel in charge of stadium entertainment, including Sam Henschen, director of game day experiences.

Morse said they were smart enough to start brainstorming for this moment midway through the 2022 season, even before Duran became the Twins’ closer. But it didn’t sink in until late in the 2023 season, which conveniently coincided with the team’s use of a new 57-foot-tall video scoreboard with 13 million LEDs.

“It looked like Duran was going to be the closer – and a very electric closer – so we had to be ready,” Morse said.

Before Duran, there was a long tradition of the Twins’ backing musicians making their own musical appearances, including Glen Perkins (“God’s Gonna Cut You Down” by Johnny Cash), Eddie Guardado (“Thunderstruck” by AC/DC) and Joe Nathan (“Stand Up and Shout” from the “Rock Star” soundtrack).

As is always the case with closing pitchers, there is no guarantee that the Target Field crowd will see Duran’s fiery walk-on every game. He is usually only called out of the bullpen when the run count is tight in the eighth or ninth inning.

When the pitcher (who usually speaks to the American press through an interpreter) was asked about his entrance music in May when the Twins gave away Duran bobbleheads, he told the Star Tribune simply: “I like the bells. That’s my favorite part.”

The idea for the deep church bell bongs comes from another dangerous sports figure: WWE wrestler Undertaker.

Morse said Duran had repeatedly expressed to the Twins staff the positive effect the walk-on music had on his psyche during what were often crucial moments of games.

“After the first few times we did it, he joked that it made his fastball go a few miles per hour faster,” Morse said.

Duran is a proud Dominican and reportedly appreciates the fact that Latin American musicians are hired for his performance.

Daddy Yankee is especially popular among MLB players, in part because he also happens to be a former MLB prospect who played for the Seattle Mariners. The Twins players were allowed to meet him before a game against the White Sox in Chicago in 2022.

In that game, Duran made a big impact on the mound, while Twins infielders Carlos Correa and Jose Miranda (both from Puerto Rico) had big hits at the plate. Afterward, Correa played up the “Daddy Yankee effect” to the Star Tribune: “He was here, and we did this. … Maybe we did it for him,” the shortstop said.

Morse said Duran “still tells us often that he loves it, and his kids love it. And Correa says it still gives him goosebumps every night.”

And as for the DJ who provided Duran’s song mix, Skee was recently able to catch one of the closer’s fiery performances when he visited his family in Minnesota and made it to a game at Target Field.

“It gave me goosebumps,” he said, underscoring the cultural significance of the moment.

“It doesn’t seem at all unusual that these songs by Latin musicians would be played so prominently in a baseball stadium in Minnesota in 2024.”

Chris Riemenschneider has been covering the Twin Cities music scene since 2001, long enough for Prince to cheer him on during “Play That Funky Music (White Boy).” The St. Paul native is the author of the book “First Avenue: Minnesota’s Mainroom” and previously worked as a music critic for the Austin American-Statesman in Texas.

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