Rusty Weiss
The Los Angeles Angels kicked off their 2026 home season with more than just terrible baseball Friday night — they delivered another classic case of organizational chaos during the pregame ceremonies.
As fans settled in for the matchup against the Seattle Mariners, the traditional national anthem performance quickly turned awkward when the flyover timing went completely off the rails.
For the second consecutive year, the coordinated military jet pass failed to sync with the singer, leaving her to desperately stall and stretch out the final lines of “The Star-Spangled Banner” in front of a packed crowd.
It’s hard to tell who’s to blame here, so we’ll blame the Angels management. This is the kind of thing that makes you the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ perpetual little brother.
Anthem singer Alexandra Castle, a familiar voice at Angels games, handled the moment like a pro under pressure. She paused multiple times and dragged out lyrics around “O’er the land of the free” as she waited for the jets to appear overhead.
Video of the scene shows her visibly buying time while the expected roar of engines stayed silent, creating several seconds of uncomfortable dead air that quickly went viral.
The Angels botched their Opening Day flyover for the second year in a row
— Barstool Baseball (@StoolBaseball) April 4, 2026
That’s Angels Baseball baby
pic.twitter.com/O6x6vr7hpr
Angels Botch Home Opener Flyover for Second Straight Year
Missed it by that much.
This marks the second straight home opener where the Angels have botched the flyover-anthem sync, turning what should be a patriotic highlight into an annual punchline.
Some fans defended the singer for adapting on the fly, while others roasted the organization for failing to nail a relatively simple pregame staple two years running.
Perhaps to the benefit of the Angels, this is all everyone was talking about after the game. A game in which the Angels dropped 3-1, after racking up one single hit.
One hit in your home opener does not bode well for the future.
READ MORE:
Jo Adell Steals the Show
Sure, the Angels once again found themselves trending for all the wrong reasons before the first pitch was even thrown, but they went viral again on Saturday. Well, one Angel in particular.
Right fielder Jo Adell made not one, not two, but three leaping grabs at the wall to rob Mariners hitters of home runs. He did this in a game the Angels ultimately won 1-0.
All THREE of Jo Adell's home run robberies from tonight …
— MLB (@MLB) April 5, 2026
Yes, you read that right 😮 https://t.co/bc0Wb9i1Ii pic.twitter.com/axhyQFpLHD
That win moved the Angels to 4-5 in the early season. Will it spark them to better things this season? Will Halos brass start working immediately to make sure they don’t botch next year’s home opener anthem?
Only time will tell.
