Brewers fans poked the bear and might have cost their team the game on Monday evening afternoon at Miller Park.
Giants outfielder Joc Pederson stepped up to the plate in the top of the eighth inning trailing by a run with a runner on base. As former Giants reliever Trevor Gott stared into the catcher before the at-bat, Pederson stepped out of the batter’s box and shot a glare to the fans heckling him from behind the plate.
Two pitches later, Pederson absolutely crushed a go-ahead two-run homer to center field to keep up his recent hot streak. As soon as he scorched the ball, Pederson looked toward the fan and patted his chest. Joc yelled at the fan as soon he crossed home plate and the Brewers broadcast picked up his NSFW response.
If you were to show this video to someone who doesn’t follow baseball they wouldn’t think it were real. Incredible narrative-building done by the Brewers broadcast here on the Joc Pederson homerun. Deserving of an Emmy 🤌 pic.twitter.com/oOhmEfH1xd
— alex :( (@dontbanmecoward) April 26, 2022
What a gratifying moment for Pederson, who is just the latest athlete to chirp with trash-talking fans. NBA stars like Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Kyrie Irving have been filmed recently having contentious interactions with fans.
The Brewers fans shoulda done their homework, since Pederson hit a pair of dingers and a double on Sunday against the Nationals. Maybe he wasn't the right guy to heckle.
"They were talking s--t," Pederson told NBC Sports Bay Area after the game. "It got me a little fired up."
The blast also tied him with Ozzie Albies for the National League lead with six dingers on the year. Quite a start for the veteran Bay Area native, who signed a one-year, $6 million contract with the Giants in the offseason.
Willy Adames tied the game up with a solo shot in the bottom of the frame, but Pederson’s homer nullified a scoreless 6.2-inning, 11-strikeout performance by reigning Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes.
The game featured even more late drama in the ninth, as Luis Gonzalez hit his first career homer to put the Giants ahead by the final margin, 4-2.
