Dodgers OF Joc Pederson Says Barry Bonds Ignored Him When He Asked For Photo

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson, who grew up in Palo Alto, California, was a longtime fan of San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds, just like many other Bay Area kids like him.

Dodgers OF Joc Pederson Says Barry Bonds Ignored Him

However, Pederson recently learned that an athlete may not always necessarily be the same person on and off the field.

Pederson, 24, revealed on Fox Sports Live with Jay and Dan on Thursday that his opinion of baseball’s legendary home run king has completely changed because of one incident. When the Dodgers played a series against the Miami Marlins, Pederson asked his idol, who is the Marlins‘ hitting coach, for a picture after introducing himself and telling Bonds how much he loved watching him play.

Bonds purportedly turned his back and completely snubbed Pederson, who is becoming known as one of Major League Baseball’s most promising sluggers. Pederson gave up and walked away.

“He kind of just turned his back on me and looked and… I don’t know. He big-leagued me.”

The youngster still believes Bonds is the greatest hitter in the history of the sport, but odds are he probably won’t attempt to get another photo with the seven-time National League Most Valuable Player ever again. “I was flustered,” Pederson also added. “I don’t know how I played that day, because I was a mental head case.” The young outfielder said he had previously told his father how excited he was to finally play in a game where Bonds was going to be present. His father, Stu Pederson, played for the Dodgers in 1985.

PHOTO: LOS ANGELES, CA – MAY 17: Joc Pederson #31 of the Los Angeles Dodgers runs the bases after his second homerun of the game against the Los Angeles Angels at Dodger Stadium on May 17, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
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Article by Pablo Mena