DENVER — One is known for swinging a wooden bat in the clutch. The other for chomping a live bat in his mouth.

They were born in different countries 18 years apart.

Yet, Larry Walker and Ozzy Osbourne remain forever linked in Colorado Rockies history.

When Osbourne passed away on Tuesday, the first person who came to mind was Walker. Memories of him strutting to the plate at Coors Field remain fresh. His three doubles in the 1995 home opener. His 13 total bases against the Pirates in 1996. And who can forget his 493-foot blast to right in 1997 against Mike Oquist, at the time the longest home run ever on Blake Street?

Osbourne’s “Crazy Train” provided the soundtrack. The diary of havoc blended with the diary of a madman to create the best Rockies walk-up song ever. (Sorry, Charlie)

“I was an Ozzy fan and Black Sabbath fan. It was the kind of music I grew up listening to. So when they asked me to pick a song, I wanted something really catchy,” Walker told The Denver Post. “There are a lot of songs that might work, maybe AC/DC. But Ozzy, with the start of that song, when you hear it, immediately everybody is going, ‘Aye! Aye! Aye!’ You can hear them all doing it, right? It was great. It all came together.”

Larry and Ozzy. Ozzy and Larry. They became intertwined. When news of Osbourne’s death broke, Walker received dozens of text messages expressing condolences, his friends and family all associating the slugger with the rocker.

Walker initially chose the tune to motivate him.

“Some guys pick songs, and they go up, and it’s like a line dancing song is playing, you know? How the (heck) does that get you fired up?” Walker said. “I wanted something to really get me going.”

“Crazy Train,” released in 1980 in Osbourne’s debut as a solo artist, became a heavy metal anthem. But it also represented Walker with its themes of fear, paranoia and chaos. That aptly describes how pitchers felt when facing the 1997 National League MVP. Walker was in scoring position in the batter’s box at Coors Field, hitting .381 with a .462 on-base percentage and 154 home runs in 597 games.

“I hope the pitchers were scared,” Walker said, “that when they were messing with their rosin bag and heard Ozzy come on, they had that feeling of, ‘Oh (crap)!' ”

Walker and Osbourne inspired similar reactions. Watch Larry take a hack or Ozzy hit a low note, and you knew you were in the presence of greatness. Both became Hall of Famers in their genres. But they admittedly didn’t have a lot in common. This became obvious when Walker attended one of Ozzy’s shows in Denver years ago.

“I went backstage and said hello to him, and he signed my lanyard and pass, ‘To Larry: You are really good at soccer,' ” Walker said, laughing. “It was perfect.”

Osbourne’s hit single was the prelude to so many doubles and triples. And it was unique to Denver. When Walker played for Montreal, Ozzy was not part of his offensive routine. For good reason.

“When I was with the Expos, you could pick a song, but the PA system was so horrible you wouldn’t even know what the (heck) was playing, so why bother?” Walker said. “The only thing anyone could understand is when they put the chickens on the scoreboard screen every time a pitcher threw over to first. I couldn’t even understand my name when they announced it as I went to the plate.”

At Coors Field, the song became his introduction, with apologies to Alan Roach. The drums, the pace, the primal screams. Briefly, Walker had the audacity to change. He switched to REO Speedwagon’s “Time for Me to Fly.”

“It was because my boys in the band were in town playing a show, and I am sure they were at the game,” Walker explained. “I went right back.”

Walker without Ozzy? As intros go, that’s like Derek Jeter without Bob Sheppard.

What made Walker’s bond special was his genuine love for Osbourne beyond his music. Like many of us of a certain age, he learned about Ozzy through his reality series “The Osbournes.” Pat Boone, Ozzy’s neighbor, performed a jazzy cover of “Crazy Train” that served as the theme song. Ozzy became lovable, his affection for his wife, Sharon, and their kids sandwiched between cries for help with the TV remote or for someone to clean up dog poop.

Walker continued following Ozzy’s career and watched his last performance on July 5 in Birmingham, England. Ozzy performed with Black Sabbath while seated on a throne as a concession to his health issues, including Parkinson’s disease.

“He looked like he was knock, knock, knocking on ‘Heaven’s Door,’ so to speak. When he sang ‘Mama, I’m Coming Home’ at the end of it, my eyes were watering,” Walker said. “Basically, he was telling his mom he was going to see her soon. He gave every last bit of his life to that show.”

Osbourne was a monumental figure in culture and music. He practically invented heavy metal. But in these parts, when a certain song comes on, the legendary rocker will forever be connected with a legendary Rockie.

“It’s been 20 years since I retired, and it’s always special when I hear it,” Walker said. “It takes me right back, and I start getting in my batter’s stance. Then, I just start smiling and thinking of all the good times I had.”

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