JUPITER, Fla. -- If you're a Little Monster like me, work hasn't stopped you from playing Lady Gaga's new single "Stupid Love" on repeat.
Turns out the pop star also has a fan inside the Marlins' dugout. In November, Miami manager Don Mattingly and his wife, Lori, attended Gaga's Jazz & Piano show in Las Vegas after an ultimatum.
"She was like, 'OK, I want to go see Lady Gaga this winter, and if you don't get me there, we're getting divorced,'" Mattingly recalled on Friday morning. "It was a threat from the beginning."
The couple was familiar with Gaga's music, but it gained a greater appreciation after watching her Netflix documentary "Gaga: Five Foot Two," which chronicled her battle with fibromyalgia while releasing a new album and prepping for the Super Bowl LI halftime show. Mattingly compared the situation to athletes fighting to stay healthy.
After getting in contact with Gaga's team, the Mattinglys found themselves seated at a table on the stage but toward the back. The Oscar winner gave him a shout-out mid song, and after the show, she met with them and posed for photos.
Gaga, who grew up in New York, is a Yankees fan. Last postseason, she posted content during the American League Championship Series and even namedropped Gerrit Cole in between songs. As evidenced by the photos, she was excited to meet the Yankees legend.
"It was great because you get to hear her warming up before the show and everything that goes on," Mattingly said. "From being in the game, you love the backstage stuff. Just the people that are helping get it ready and running the show and how much goes into it.
"There's a lot more than just the music you respect. You respect what she stands for and everything she's done in her life and what she talks about and what she's doing with her [Born This Way Foundation] and things like that. Those are the kind of people that you're more interested in, more than just the music and seeing a show. It's more about you really like what she's all about, and that's really what it was for us."
So is there an open invitation for Gaga to visit Marlins Park during the 2020 season?
"I think I try to invite everybody to come," Mattingly said. "If I didn't, I'm inviting her now. That would be great."