DeLonge, a 50-year-old lifelong Padres fan who grew up in nearby Poway, spun a yellow rally towel and shouted the song’s “Work sucks! I know” line toward the FS1 camera.

Tom DeLonge turned into one of the biggest highlights of the San Diego Padres’ dramatic postseason win on Tuesday night, joining thousands of fans at Petco Park for an emotional singalong to blink-182’s iconic hit, “All the Small Things.”

The 50-year-old blink-182 frontman, a lifelong Padres fan who grew up in nearby Poway, was in the stands as San Diego defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 in Game 3 of the National League Division Series. The victory kept the Padres alive after they entered the night trailing 2-0 in the series. 

When “All the Small Things” began playing around the ballpark, the crowd erupted into one of Petco Park’s familiar traditions. DeLonge was caught on camera joining in, waving a yellow rally towel and enthusiastically singing along with the fans.

The moment was particularly fitting given DeLonge’s connection to the Padres and the song. “All the Small Things,” released by blink-182 in 1999, has become closely associated with sporting events and has developed a strong tradition at Petco Park. DeLonge himself has previously spoken about how surreal it is to hear the song, originally created by a punk-rock band, become part of major sporting environments. 

The singer has long been more than a casual Padres supporter. MLB has previously described DeLonge and his son Jonas as devoted fans, with the musician frequently attending games at Petco Park. In 2024, DeLonge even gifted Padres catcher Kyle Higashioka a guitar, which Higashioka used to play a riff from “All the Small Things” in the clubhouse. 

This time, however, it was DeLonge himself who became part of the show.

His appearance came during a dramatic night for San Diego. The Padres rallied to defeat Milwaukee 4-3, with Jake Cronenworth hitting the go-ahead home run before Michael King recorded the final outs and Xander Bogaerts helped finish the game with a double play. The win reduced Milwaukee’s series advantage to 2-1 and forced a decisive Game 4. 

For DeLonge, the night combined two of his biggest passions: the band that made him famous and the hometown baseball team he has supported since childhood.

And as the Petco Park crowd belted out one of blink-182’s most recognizable songs, the Padres’ postseason survival suddenly felt like the perfect soundtrack for a hometown rock star.