Luke Combs talks baseball, country music and new album

Country music superstar Luke Combs just released his new album, “Fathers & Sons” on Father’s Day Weekend -- and there is no shortage of references to being a dad as well as the sport he loves.

Combs has long been a self-professed baseball fan who has played many shows at MLB stadiums across America. His current Growin’ Up and Getting’ Old tour kicked off at the Brewers’ American Family Field on April 12-13.

Like many baseball fans, Combs’ love for baseball developed at a young age. The 34-year-old Combs sat down with MLB Network for an extensive interview that delved into Combs’ history with baseball and how he’s connected the sport to his profession.

“It’s funny that I do music now. My first concert was at a Charlotte Knights [White Sox Triple-A affiliate] game,” Combs said. “I went and saw Vince Gill there when I was six years old. That’s my first memory of being in a baseball stadium.”

That was just the beginning of Combs’ interest in -- and love for -- baseball.

“We moved to Asheville, where they had the [Astros’ High-A Ashville] Tourists. We went to a million Tourists games growing up,” Combs said. “It was this accessible, affordable experience growing up in a small town.”

Combs talked about growing up as an only child and further developing his relationship with baseball through watching baseball in the late 1990s. He vividly remembers watching the memorable home run chase between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa in '98.

“Growing up on Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire, I was so entranced by this almost superhuman feat by these larger-than-life human beings,” Combs said.

Throughout the interview, Combs talked about how important the connection is between country music and baseball. To him, there’s such a big overlap between the two and the cultural significance it has in America.

“There’s such a strong crossover between the two fan bases -- the community that loves baseball and the community that loves my music and country music,” Combs said. “It’s a match made in heaven. Country music and baseball just make sense together.”

You can listen to Luke Combs’ "Fathers and Sons" on Spotify and Apple Music.