I’ll admit that when I called Joc Pederson’s big day in the lineup post this morning, I was thinking of his prior success against Brandon Woodruff. So when Woodruff came out of the game with the Cubs down a run in the 8th in favor of Devin Williams, one of the best relievers in baseball right now, I wasn’t feeling great about my prediction.
But then Joc Pederson stepped up to the plate and notched his first hit of the season … a game-tying, monster home run:
No guarantees in this game. #CubTogether @BinnysBev pic.twitter.com/tJbKKG0eVf
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 7, 2021
The Cubs added Pederson specifically because of his offensive ability against heat, and he finally came through. Tie game. That ball left the bat at 108 MPH and traveled 417 feet.
The Cubs have now scored more runs off of Devin Williams this year than he gave up to all teams combined all of last year.
— Bleacher Nation Cubs (@BleacherNation) April 7, 2021
And you can tell it felt REALLY good for Joc.
Hello, Mr. Pederson. And welcome to the party. Tie game. #Cubs pic.twitter.com/T2JbdC35Tq
— Michael Cerami (@Michael_Cerami) April 7, 2021