Regis Grad, Now Pirates Pitcher, Sings National Anthem Before Game

By Doug Hoffacker

PITTSBURGH (CBS4) - It doesn't happen often that a major league pitcher gets to sing the National Anthem before his team's ballgame.

But it happened Tuesday night in PNC Park in Pittsburgh, when Pirates relief pitcher Steven Brault took off his glove and picked up a microphone.

Brault is passionate about singing as well as baseball. He attended Regis University in Denver so he could study music and play baseball. On Tuesday he fulfilled a dream at his home ballpark.

"It's something specifically my grandma always wanted me to do," Brault told MLB.com's Adam Berry. "She wanted me to sing the national anthem before a Major League game that I got to play in, so that's part of it."

He'd sung it several times while playing in the minor leagues.

Brault is from El Cajon, California. He majored in musical performance with an emphasis on vocal performance at Regis. During his senior year he finished 8-3 and led the Regis Rangers with 103 strikeouts. He was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in 2011 and traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2015.

Brandt was called up to the majors in 2016. In the offseason he sings in a San Diego-based band called Street Gypsies.

"I sing a lot," Brault told KDKA-TV, CBS4's sister station in Pittsburgh. "I sing a lot when I'm shagging BP and stuff especially."

The Pirates even made posters for Tuesday's event.

After his performance, he got congratulations from teammates and coaches and a standing ovation from the crowd.

Watch his entire performance in the video clip below:

Brault's singing pitch was all he ended up needing to bring to the game Tuesday night. The Pirates didn't call him in from the bullpen in the 3-2 loss to the Brewers.