ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — As the Tampa Bay Rays get their third straight postseason underway, a familiar face is helping to get the crowd at Tropicana Field ready.

BK Jackson returned to Tropicana Field on Thursday, to play the national anthem with his saxophone.

The Tampa native has become a fan favorite at Tropicana Field, playing the national anthem for many games since the mid-2000s.

Jackson will also perform the anthem at Game 2 on Friday.

“There’s no setting like the playoffs," he said. "I can tell you that right now."

As many times as he's played at Tropicana Field, Jackson admits he still gets a bit nervous.

“It’s good nerves. I control them,” he said as he warmed up at the ballpark. “Once I close my eyes and I start playing the anthem, I open them back up, it’s just that sigh of relief. I embrace the nerves. I embrace the moment and I’m grateful for the opportunity.”

Jackson has performed with music legends like Prince and Stevie Wonder, and he’s also now pursuing a solo music career.

But it’s those few minutes he gets at home at the Trop, he says that can mean the most.

“It’s the gift of music," Jackson said. "Having a chance to do that and hopefully impact somebody’s life for the minute and a half I have, it’s really what I live for.”

Jackson said he was supposed to play the anthem at Game 5 of the World Series in 2008 but the Rays didn’t make it that far.

In 2020, he couldn’t attend the World Series because the games were closed to fans, but the Rays actually used his sound for the anthem.

If the Rays go back this year, he’s hoping he gets the call.

“I’m always ready,” Jackson said. “Go Rays!”

Jackson will also perform the anthem at Game 2 on Friday.