In a tale that blends baseball superstition with childhood nostalgia, Los Angeles Angels shortstop Zach Neto found an unlikely slump-buster on Tuesday night: a rare Pokémon card. Neto broke out of a brutal 0-for-23 skid with a go-ahead solo home run in the fifth inning, powering the Angels to a 4-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox. The secret weapon? A pregame Pokémon card session with teammate and three-time MVP Mike Trout.

According to MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger, Trout texted the 25-year-old Neto earlier in the day, inviting him to help rip open a large box of Pokémon cards. Looking to clear his mind, Neto obliged—and pulled a rare Charizard card. "He said, 'This case, when we rip it, it's going to have homers in it,'" Neto recalled.

Trout's prophecy proved true almost immediately. In the bottom of the first inning, he connected on a low sweeper from White Sox starter Erick Fedde and drove it just over the short wall in left field, putting the Angels on the board. Jorge Soler followed with a homer of his own later in the frame, giving the Halos an early lead. Neto finally snapped his hitless streak with a single in the third—though he was promptly picked off at first base.

He made up for it in grand fashion two innings later. Getting a sweeper up and on the outer half of the plate, Neto crushed it 410 feet into the bullpen for his first home run since April 10. The solo shot broke a 2-2 tie and proved to be the game-winner. "It felt amazing," Neto told reporters. "I was in my biggest slump ever in my career and just the sound of the bat again, it reminded me of a lot of good things. It's just one of those things where it takes one swing to get back into the mix."

Neto finished the game 2-for-4 with an RBI—his first multi-hit game since April 26. The momentum carried into Wednesday's series finale, where he went 2-for-2 with a triple, two RBIs, and two walks in an 8-2 win, securing the Angels' first series victory since taking two of three against the Cincinnati Reds in late April. Sometimes, all it takes is a little cardboard magic to get back on track.