Joc Pederson was traded from the Chicago Cubs to the Atlanta Braves before the deadline, and he brought a nice parting gift with him.
TBS pointed out that Pederson was using ex-Cubs teammate Anthony Rizzo’s bat when he smashed a pinch-hit, three-run home run in Game 3 of the NLDS against the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday.
Joc Pederson was using Anthony Rizzo's bat for that home run! pic.twitter.com/jnlS4L2f9N
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) October 11, 2021
It was a monster shot and it accounted for the only runs of the game.
TBS’ observation called attention to the bat and even led Rizzo to send a text message to Joc. That’s what Pederson said in his postgame interview on TBS.
“He just texted me,” Pederson told Matt Winer. “I stole it from him when we were in Chicago. He’s got a lot of hits in it, so thanks, [Rizzo].”
Pederson has been coming up big-time for the Braves. He also had a pinch-hit home run in Game 1 of the series and was 1-for-1 in the Game 2 win. Maybe the secret is all in the pearls.
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