Sure, Metallica is pretty metal. But you know what's really metal? Turning 85 years old, as Giants great and hall-of-famer Willie Mays did last Friday, *not* coincidentally at the team's annual "Metallica Night."

That special event game, along the lines of "Jerry Garcia Night," "Star Wars Day at the Park," and "Hello Kitty Day" (all pretty hardcore if you ask me), was the fifth to feature the band.

While the group was formed in Los Angeles, San Francisco band member Jason Newsted Bay Area band member Cliff Burton lured them up to San Francisco in 1983. These days, when they aren't casually picking up trash on Ocean Beach, they're lending fuel and fire to their hometeam with a kickass rendition of the National Anthem.

The Giants, for their part, took out the trash that was the Rockies, beating them 6 - 4.

After drummer Lars Ulrich threw out the game's first pitch, Kirk Hammett, Metallica's lead guitarist and songwriter (and a San Francisco native) spoke with MLB.com.

"As a hometown kid, being able to hang out with my hometown kid, I mean, it's epic," said Hammett. "My family loves it too, and it's just a great, great thing... our rendition of the national anthem, I really feel, is really unique and different, and it's great that we can come here and play our version for our home team and our hometown audience, and it's really, really great."

Then, of course, talk turned to the night's true honoree. Said Hammet. "It brings me back to when I was a little kid and I used to go see the Giants at Kezar Stadium in Candlestick Park and whatnot. Willie Mays is here. I used to idolize Willie Mays when I was in fourth and fifth grade like all my other friends did. It's just a really, really cool thing. I totally enjoy it. I mean, it's wonderful."

So, Guitar World writes, Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo held up a sign for Mays while singer James Hetfield sang him a stirring "Happy Birthday."

Another Mays admirer (and Metallica fan?) gave thanks to the player, but, like, whatever I guess.

Related: Photo Du Jour: Metallica Is Cleaning Up Ocean Beach