{"id":386930,"date":"2026-07-05T13:02:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-05T13:02:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/386930\/"},"modified":"2026-07-05T13:02:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-05T13:02:11","slug":"pikachu-magic-how-a-tiny-pokemon-powered-zach-neto-and-the-angels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/386930\/","title":{"rendered":"Pikachu magic: how a tiny Pok\u00e9mon powered Zach Neto and the Angels"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you\u2019ve been watching the Angels<\/a>\u2019 broadcast or have a keen eye from the stadium seats, you might notice the newest addition to the Halos.<\/p>\n

He looms on the dugout wall, monitoring each play, sometimes hiding under a blanket or turned away. He\u2019s faithful and quiet, never drawing the ire of umpires.<\/p>\n

The Pikachu \u2014 in all his tiny, yellow, bulbous glory \u2014 sitting next to the cameras is part of the reason the Angels have won some games lately. At least that\u2019s what shortstop Zach Neto<\/a> attributes it to.<\/p>\n

\u201cI could just go out there with a free mind and not have to think about too much, and just kind of play my game and have fun, and I think that\u2019s what it\u2019s all about,\u201d Neto said. \u201cAnd the Pikachu brings a little distraction, but it brings a little fun out of me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some of the other Angels have adopted Pikachu as an unofficial team mascot and last week during the Angels\u2019 series against the Mariners in Seattle, the team visited Pok\u00e9mon\u2019s North American headquarters<\/a>. <\/p>\n

The Angels\u2019 lucky Pikachu might not be a trade target going into the deadline. Though maybe he should be. Ever since Pikachu appeared on the corner of the dugout wall next to the camera well last month, the Angels have pieced together some big moments. <\/p>\n

Neto hit a game-winning home run<\/a> against the Athletics on June 21. Starter Ryan Johnson, who finished with a 14.40 earned run average in May, flirted with a no-hitter<\/a> through through six innings on June 23 against the Baltimore Orioles. And, catcher Logan O\u2019Hoppe walked off the series finale<\/a> against the Orioles with a slow-rolling infield single in extra innings the next day. The Angels won four straight home series in June.<\/p>\n

When Johnson talked to the media after his dominant start (eight strikeouts, one hit and a walk), he shrugged. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s lucky, I can\u2019t deny it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Just a coincidental blip in the middle of a long season? Perhaps, but Pikachu is more than just a good-luck charm. The tiny figurine is a reminder for Neto: you don\u2019t have to be perfect at the plate.<\/p>\n

Think of it this way, Neto said. Each time you open a pack of Pok\u00e9mon cards, you don\u2019t know what you\u2019re going to get, maybe a low-rated Wishiwashi or a highly desired Charizard. If you don\u2019t get the card you want, you start again with a new pack tomorrow.<\/p>\n

In other words, Pok\u00e9mon is an exercise in delayed gratification and acceptance. Though mostly, it\u2019s just fun.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a huge relief for me, especially in the sense if I have a bad game, good game, it helps me, not even think about what just happened, or what\u2019s about to happen,\u201d Neto said. \u201cJust focus on what\u2019s the task at hand, and I try to have a lot of fun out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Neto wasn\u2019t always this much of a nerd, in his own words. No surprise, the 25-year-old talks Miami Hurricanes football and radiates a 305-swagger that would make the Cuban-American club-classic rapper Pitbull proud. Rather, his older brother, Andrew, liked Pok\u00e9mon cards. He would get angry with Neto when he brought them to school and creased the corners.<\/p>\n

Then, Neto hit a slump the first week of May this season. Mike Trout<\/a>, whom Neto predominantly hangs out with on the road, texted him before the May 5 Chicago White Sox game at Angel Stadium: come to the field early. Then Trout set the stakes. If one of them pulled a Charizard, they\u2019d get a guaranteed homer that game.<\/p>\n

Not one to turn down a potential sign of good luck, Neto started pulling cards. On the fourth or fifth pack \u2014 Neto couldn\u2019t remember exactly \u2014 he opened the packaging and bingo. A Charizard. Trout pulled another not long after. So, when both Trout and Neto hit home runs in the Angels\u2019 4-3 win over Chicago<\/a>, it seemed like fate.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow we\u2019re addicted to it,\u201d Neto said. \u201cI got him off of sports cards a little bit, and now we\u2019re just all in on Pok\u00e9mon.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the Pok\u00e9mon obsession has taken over Neto\u2019s Netflix account and his Nintendo Switch, lucky Pikachu came about two weeks after that. Pok\u00e9mon cards are normally sold in two forms: a card pack and a box of 36 packs. In Sacramento, Trout and Neto were opening a box. A little Pikachu sat in the packaging.<\/p>\n

Originally, it had a little halo, but it broke. Instead of DFA-ing the figurine or placing it on the injured list, Neto accepted the Pikachu for all its flaws.<\/p>\n

\u201cPikachu had been through a lot,\u201d Neto said. \u201cIt\u2019s just a little joke that we\u2019re doing here. But it\u2019s so much fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Manager Kurt Suzuki<\/a> is naturally superstitious, and the Pikachu didn\u2019t faze him much. If it helps Neto, it can stay.<\/p>\n

\u201cSuperstition is superstition,\u201d he said. \u201cSo, hey, whatever works, man.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If you\u2019ve been watching the Angels\u2019 broadcast or have a keen eye from the stadium seats, you might…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":386931,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[1426,4614,58481,155944,25210,423,89155,23932,2624,48,52,51,47,50,49,2302,5128,36313,155943,45196,14504],"class_list":["post-386930","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles","tag-angels","tag-baltimore-orioles","tag-card","tag-charizard","tag-fun","tag-game","tag-game-winning-home-run","tag-innings","tag-june","tag-la","tag-la-headlines","tag-la-news","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-headlines","tag-los-angeles-news","tag-may","tag-mike-trout","tag-pack","tag-pikachu","tag-pokemon","tag-zach-neto"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/386930","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=386930"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/386930\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/386931"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=386930"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=386930"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=386930"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}