Baseball, perhaps more than any other, is a sport steeped in superstition.
Just ask Zach Neto.
The Los Angeles Angels shortstop and leadoff hitter entered Tuesday in arguably the worst slump of his career. Through 36 games, he was slashing .210/.323/.371 with a batting average and slugging percentage that would stand as career lows over the course of a full season.
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He was in the midst of a five-game hitless streak. He hadn’t hit a home run since April 10, a span of 23 games. He led the league in strikeouts.
Enter Pokémon. Charizard to be precise.
Neto broke out of his slump in Tuesday’s 4-3 win over the Chicago White Sox. He and Mike Trout each hit solo home runs in the win. Neto’s fifth-inning blast gave the Angels the lead for good at 3-2.
Neto finished the game 2 of 4 at the plate with one home run and one RBI.
After the game, Neto was asked on the Angels broadcast about breaking his slump. His answer about some pregame downtime with Trout was … unexpected.
“He texted me this morning about ripping Pokémon cards and that if we found a Charizard, I was gonna hit a homer, and we did” Neto said. “And we both hit a homer, so that was pretty cool.”
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As it turns out, there’s a method to the superstition madness.
“You know, it’s just the little things to get my head out of baseball a little bit,” Neto continued. “You know, sometimes that’s what you need. And I was able to come through.”
Neto concluded the interview with a parting message:
“Thanks, Charizard.”
In case you’re unaware, Charizard is a rare pull and among the most coveted card in any Pokémon set. Finding one is good luck, indeed. Here’s guessing that Neto keeps his close by.
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