Chatham baseball player turns rain delay into impromptu concert

Chatham-Kent Barnstormers player Robert Mackie traded a baseball bat for a microphone during Sunday’s rain delay. (SOURCE: Chatham-Kent Barnstormers)

Fans who came to Sunday’s Chatham-Kent Barnstormers game expecting baseball got a little bonus entertainment when a rain delay turned into an impromptu concert.

As weather paused the action at Fergie Jenkins Field, fans were invited to take part in karaoke.

That’s when Barnstormers utility player Robert Mackie proved he really can do anything on the field.

“I jokingly said, ‘I’ll do it,’” Mackie recalled.

He said he had no intention of actually taking the microphone.

But after teammates began chanting his name, the crowd quickly joined in.

“Then the fans got into it and started chanting my name,” he said.

“At that point, it’s for the best.”

With baseball fans urging him on, Mackie stepped up and belted out Josh Turner’s country hit Your Man.

The choice wasn’t random.

“When I think of Chatham, I think of country music,” Mackie said.

“I like the song, so I figured I’d give it a spin.”

As it turns out, the song is also a familiar one for the Barnstormers player.

“I think that’s probably my go-to when I want to have karaoke back home,” he said.

The performance quickly won over the crowd and helped turn a rainy interruption into one of the day’s most memorable moments.

“I know deep down I have a little bit of a voice on me,” Mackie said.

“But I was super ecstatic with how the crowd reacted.”

The unexpected performance had some fans joking they came to a baseball game and ended up at a concert.

And if another rain delay rolls around?

“Yeah, absolutely,” Mackie said.

“I would do it again.”