Metallica made an appearance at San Francisco Giants’ baseball match with the New York Mets yesterday (May 24).

The metal veterans returned to their hometown to perform the national anthem and see singer James Hetfield throw the first pitch. It’s the eighth time the band have performed the annual tradition.

“It’s a tradition that we’ve missed the last two seasons, so we’re really excited for the return of Metallica Night at Oracle Park with our hometown baseball team, the San Francisco Giants,” Metallica said in a statement via Consequence.

“This year marks the eighth time we’ll take the field for the National Anthem, first pitch, and a few other pre-game shenanigans.”

.@Metallica played tonight’s national anthem with City Connect guitars and equipment pic.twitter.com/a6lAkV0Db2

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) May 25, 2022

It comes a month after Jack White also took to the field at Comerica Park in Detroit to perform the US national anthem before the Detroit Tigers’ baseball game against the Chicago White Sox.

The performance coincided with the release of his fourth solo album, ‘Fear Of The Dawn’.

Last week, Metallica frontman Hetfield praised his bandmates during an on-stage speech in Brazil last, saying that their support “means the world to me”.

“I’ve gotta tell you, I wasn’t feeling very good before I came out here,” the frontman said. “[I was] feeling a little bit insecure, like ‘I’m an old guy, can’t play anymore’. All this bullshit that I tell myself in my head.”

He then pointed to his bandmates: “So, I talked to these guys, and they helped me: as simple as that. They gave me a hug and said, ‘Hey, if you’re struggling on stage, we’ve got your back’. And I tell you, it means the world to me.”

Last month, Metallica announced Rye The Lightning, a whisky that was crafted with the help of low hertz frequencies generated by the band’s music to vibrate the barrels.