Zach Neto found the strangest possible way out of a slump, and Mike Trout somehow called the entire thing before it happened. The Los Angeles Angels shortstop had been searching for a spark during a rough stretch at the plate. Instead of more batting cage work or another mechanical adjustment, Trout offered a different kind of reset: Pokémon cards.

As shared via MLB on X, Trout tried to help Neto loosen up before the game. "Mike Trout opened Pokémon cards with Zach Neto before yesterday's game to get his mind off his slump," the league revealed. "Neto pulled a Charizard card, and Trout said the box of cards would bring them home runs, then they both hit home runs."

Neto had been stuck in a 0-for-23 slump before the Angels' matchup against the Chicago White Sox. Trout told him that if they pulled a Charizard, both of them would homer that night. Neto pulled the card, then later thanked Charizard after breaking through at the plate.

The pregame prediction played out almost perfectly. Trout hit a solo home run in the first inning, his 11th of the season and the 415th of his career, helping the Angels respond after Chicago took an early lead. Neto first snapped his hitless streak with a single, then delivered the biggest swing of the night in the fifth inning with a go-ahead solo home run.

Jorge Soler also homered for Los Angeles, while Nolan Schanuel added an RBI double to score Trout and give the Angels enough separation. The White Sox pushed back late, but Ryan Zeferjahn escaped a bases-loaded jam in the ninth to seal a 4-3 Angels win.

For Neto, the box of Pokémon cards became more than a clubhouse distraction. It gave him a mental reset, a viral moment, and a slump-busting home run all in one night. Sometimes, the best pregame ritual is the one that reminds players to have fun—and in this case, it paid off with a Charizard-fueled victory.