How Rizzo's theory inspired Pederson's blonde hairdo originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Anthony Rizzo's bat isn't the only thing Joc Pederson took from his former Cubs teammate to Atlanta.
Pederson, whom the Cubs sent to the Braves before the trade deadline in July, detailed his run to the World Series with the Braves in a Players Tribune piece this week.
But beyond that, he reflected on a theory Rizzo had while they were teammates in Chicago.
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“'Trust me, good things happen when you go blonde,'” Pederson recalled Rizzo saying.
"Not sure if he fact-checked that, or where it came from, but he’d always be saying it."
Pederson got off to a slow start with the Braves and was back in Los Angeles in August for a series against the Dodgers, his club from 2014-20.
Remembering the theory, Pederson had his family hairstylist dye his hair blonde.
He hit a home run off Dodgers ace Walker Buehler the very next game.
"Rizzo texts me right after, thrilled — as if I proved his theory, and we discovered a major breakthrough in science or something," Pederson wrote. "And I’m not saying we did…...
"But at the same time: It really has just been that kind of season, man."
Pederson's teammates had fun with his new hair, getting his walk-up music changed to Eminem's "The Real Slim Shady."
It's become part of his iconic look this October, paired with a pearl necklace that has grown popular in Atlanta.
Pederson has been a standout performer this postseason along the way, bringing Joctober to Atlanta. Through 11 games, he's batting .273 with a .545 slugging percentage.
He's hit three home runs while using one of Rizzo's bats throughout the playoffs.
Maybe there's something to Rizzo's theory after all.
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