Joc Pederson, Atlanta Braves. (Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports)
Joc Pederson still has his former Dodger teammates on his side.
Even after beating them in the NLCS to advance to the World Series, Atlanta Braves OF Joc Pederson says he still has his former Los Angeles Dodgers teammates cheering him on against the Houston Astros.
Pederson signed as a free agent at the beginning of the 2021 Major League Baseball season with the Chicago Cubs. After the Cubs decided to be sellers rather than buyers at the trade deadline, they dealt the outfielder to Atlanta, who decided to go for it even after losing their star OF Ronald Acuña Jr. Pederson played 64 games for the Braves, batting .249 and launching seven home runs in the second half. He helped the Braves clinch the NL East and eventually a birth in the 2021 World Series.
No love lost between the Dodgers and the Astros
Of course, we all know why Pederson’s former teammates are on his side. The Astros defeated the Dodgers in the 2017 World Series, clinching their first title in franchise history. It was later reported and thereafter proven that the Astros were unfairly alerting teammates to certain pitches being used by banging on trashcans in the dugout and even using sensors worn on their bodies.
Members of the coaching staff from that year were handed suspensions, but no real punishment was brought down on the players involved in the cheating scandal. The Dodgers have not since forgotten they were cheated out of a real chance at winning the World Series that year. They did eventually get one though, winning it in the 2020 COVID-19 shortened campaign.