Root, Root, Root for the Dodgers: Joc Pederson Is Ready for His Moment in Jewish Baseball History
There’s good news and bad news coming out of the elimination of the Toronto Blue Jays from the 2016 MLB playoffs. Good news: The current belt-holders of “Most Annoying Fans in Baseball” have been banished back to downing Molsons and cheering for the Maple Leafs (or whatever they do up there). Bad news: Jewish Blue Jays Kevin Pillar and Scott Feldman have left with them. But fear not! Joc Pederson, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Jewish-enough wunderkind outfielder, masher of baseballs, is still left to carry the torch.
Pederson, just 24, is the starting center fielder for Da Bums, who are currently locked in mortal combat with the suddenly lively Chicago Cubs. Tied 2-2 in the NLCS with a pivotal Game 5 at home tonight, the Dodgers badly need Pederson’s bat to come alive. After a Division Series where Pederson slashed .333/.444/.600 and hit his first postseason home run in a five-game squeaker over the Washington Nationals, he’s cooled off a bit against the Cubs’ legion of arms, managing a putrid .200/.250/.267. If the Dodgers harbor any dreams of a World Series trip, they’ll need Pederson to get out the rake.