The 2021 Chicago Cubs at one point featured both Joc Pederson and Anthony Rizzo. That is, of course, no longer the case, but both wound up factoring into today’s Atlanta Braves win over the Milwaukee Brewers.
Pederson, for his part, hit a three-run homer as the Braves beat the Brewers to take a 2-1 series lead:
WELCOME TO JOCTOBER!@yungjoc650 | #ForTheA pic.twitter.com/scosmrCNuN
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) October 11, 2021
Folks later noticed that Pederson, who wears a string of pearls at the plate because he’s a “bad bitch,” was using old friend Anthony Rizzo’s bat for the dinger:
As the broadcast just pointed out, Joc Pederson used @ARizzo44‘s bat to hit that HR. pic.twitter.com/z4ltFKOzmN
— Alex Fast (@AlexFast8) October 11, 2021
The best part? Joc admitted that he stole the bat from Rizzo when they were together with the Cubs, and Rizzo just texted him about it:
Joc Pederson asked about using Anthony Rizzo’s bat says Rizzo just texted him about it.
“I stole it from him when we were in Chicago.”
— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) October 11, 2021
I am dying. A touch sad, but mostly laughing.
The whole situation is evocative of the 2016 postseason run that featured a slumping Rizzo taking Matt Szczur’s bat, and promptly breaking out with it.