Cubs fans are celebrating the impact of Taylor Swift.
Before a second straight victory against the Pirates on Tuesday that marked a fourth win in five games, Cubs manager Craig Counsell said a pregame tradition with “a Taylor Swift candle” is the reason for the team’s recent victory lap.
“I was gifted a Taylor Swift candle, and we’ve been lighting that before games in my office — clubhouse manager Danny Miller [and I],” Counsell, 54, said before Chicago beat Pittsburgh, 9-5, at PNC Park.
Taylor Swift COULD be helping the @Cubs right now 🤣👀 pic.twitter.com/jVHgiTbhbn
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) August 27, 2024
“We’ve been on a nice little run here, so we’re going to credit Taylor Swift,” he said, smiling.
That roll continued Wednesday when the Cubs (68-66) tallied a 14-10 win to complete a three-game sweep of the Pirates (62-71).
The candle is labeled “This Smells Like Taylor Swift,” according to MLB.com, which published a photo of it on its website.
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Counsell did not disclose the scent of the Swift-themed candle — which is made by Candle Babes, a sister run business in Chicago that sells hand-poured candles.
It retails for $21 and comes in a variety of scents including Beverly Hills, Cactus Blossom, Mahogany Coconut and Sexy Cowboy.
The interviewer, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network, mentioned “there’s a lot of Swifties in Cubs nation” and that there “might be some luck coming from those Swifties that have impacted the Cubs.”
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Cubs manager Craig Counsell said a pregame tradition with “a Taylor Swift candle” was the reason for the team’s recent success before a victory against the Pirates at PNC Park on Aug. 27, 2024. X
Many Chicago fans and Swifties alike enjoyed Counsell’s comments.
“If the Cubs make the playoffs, I’ll listen to every one of her songs from her 1st album to her last,” one person wrote on X.
“Let’s go,” another added, including a GIF of Swift pumping her arm in the air.
Although Swift seems to have no direct ties to the Cubs, she went public with her and Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce’s relationship at an NFL game against the Bears last fall.
The Grammy-winning singer nearly broke the internet when she was spotted in a private suite at Arrowhead Stadium with Kelce’s friends and family, including his mom Donna Kelce, to watch the Chiefs crush the Bears, 41-10, on Sept. 24.
It marked Swift’s first public appearance at an NFL game in support of Kelce.
The three-time Super Bowl champ was the first to initiate their first meeting, as he previously shared on his “New Heights” podcast that he attended Swift’s “Eras Tour” concert, and tried to give her a friendship bracelet with his phone number on it.
Kelce explained that Swift wasn’t meeting with anyone at the time in order to preserve her voice for her three-hour show.
The two later connected and began quietly dating last summer.
