We all have that one friend who is meant to bring smiles to our faces even in times of adversity. And that’s who Anthony Rizzo is. Remember last year when the Yankees’ bullpen coach Mike Harkey got annoyed by his antics? Rizzo kept calling the bullpen phone, especially since it was the source of a lot of tension among the pitching staff. “Just trying to keep it as loose as I can because I know when the phone rings it becomes a little bit heart-pounding. Especially when Rizzo calls in the fourth inning, like he always does,” Harkey had said at the time. Although players may not be teammates with the prankster anymore, it doesn’t mean Rizzo hasn’t left an impact. Rizzo’s close friend and former teammate makes a surprising revelation about him. Any guesses who it is and what he has said?

Well, we are talking about Jameson Taillon, the expert Canadian-American pitcher of the Cubs. From playing together to battling cancer, the two stars have come a long way.

And while they play for different teams now, their bonding has kept getting stronger. “We’ve Both Had Cancer,” Taillon specified, recalling how Anthony Rizzo’s kind words helped him massively during his struggles. Now, both Anthony Rizzo and Jameson Taillon can be seen indulging in a funny conversation on the Diggin’ Deep Show.

As per the clip posted on their official Instagram handle, Taillon recalled an incident when he was in Tampa. “I was in Tampa one time, and I think it was, like, in the eighth inning, my bad, and my velo started dropping a little bit. I’m, like, falling behind a guy. Rizzo comes out and like, we had talked; we both had cancer and stuff. So he comes out and he’s like, Hey, I know you only have one nut but, like, I want you to pitch right here like you have two.”

You can probably feel the joke Rizzo wanted to make. But deep down, we all know that it was just Anthony Rizzo’s way of motivating the guy, who has been going through struggles. Probably, this is what every player needs when it comes to a lack of motivation to perform in the team.

Whatever might be the case, the funny move, though, worked like a charm for Jameson Taillon. “I don’t know how to feel about that, but I ended up striking that guy,” Taillon said, followed by a roll of laughter surrounding the entire room. Maybe it was an unexpected pep talk, but what he did surely built his confidence.

It is a stark reminder of how sometimes funny banter can have an immense positive impact on one’s performance. At the same time, it also reflects the strong bond they both shared while surviving cancer. More importantly, Anthony Rizzo’s former Yankees teammate’s hard work, struggles, and resilience are something that not only brought him back to the mound but also made him continue to excel to date.

Anthony Rizzo’s former teammate is taking his team to new heights this season

Well, people often put their emotions aside and focus on watching their team win the game. But for the Chicago Cubs, Jameson Taillon has come as a savior for them. Believe me or not! If the Cubs are atop the NL Central at the moment, then Taillon will be the first name coming to the minds of everyone.

In fact, he did great with his pitching ever since making his quality start in June, when he started his major league baseball career. An impressive pitching display came on Sunday when the Cubs faced the Cincinnati Reds. In his six pitches, he gave away only two earned runs along with a walk, a home run, and three hits. However, what stood out was that out of his 97 pitches, 63 pitches were in the strike zone, eventually leading the Cubs to a victory.

This season, Jameson Taillon has made 12 appearances and he went 5-3 with a 3.76 ERA. Although he has given away sixteen home runs and 289 earned runs, his six quality starts cannot be denied either. Taillon has already struck out 53 batters with a 69.1 WHIP and a 1.01 WHIP.

Taillon is continuing his good performance and has remained healthy since his comeback. While he has solidified his position within the Cubs, not to forget that he has declined his $17 million option in hand and is a free agent at the moment. So, it will be worth seeing what happens in the future: whether the Cubs keep him or let him go.