Meet Jobu: LSU baseball's voodoo doll and good-luck charm
BATON ROUGE ― Brayden Jobert was in junior college when he met his friend and good luck charm.
At the time, the LSU baseball outfielder was playing for Delgado Community College in New Orleans and was stuck in a slump. So to help him break it, his father – a man famous for believing superstitions – handed him a small Voodoo doll sitting on his desk named Jobu, the same name as the doll baseball slugger Pedro Cerrano prayed to in the 1989 film "Major League."
"(My dad) said, 'Hey, keep this. Bring him to every game and just watch,' " Jobert said.
Once he started bringing Jobu to games, Jobert said he went on to hit about .480 for the rest of the season. Jobert finished that year with 15 home runs and JUCO All-American honors.
His little friend hasn't left his side since.
"My Dad was like 'I told you,' and I was just like 'Yeah, alright,' " Jobert said.
Jobu's magical powers were in full effect Thursday, as Jobert blasted a grand slam in LSU's 16-6 win in eight innings over Kentucky.
But Jobert isn't the only LSU player who has turned to Jobu for good fortune. Cade Beloso also relies on the good-luck charm and Paul Skenes has done some "rituals" with Jobert and the doll.
"We just like hold it, put it in the air," Jobert said. "(We) just pray to the gods, pray to the baseball gods that they'll give us success.
"It works."
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However, not every Tiger relies on Jobu's magic for hits. Jordan Thompson, who has hit home runs in four consecutive games, has not paid homage to the doll since going on his hot streak, despite having relied on his magic a few times in the past. Like Jobert, Thompson also hit a grand slam on Thursday.
"He might've been (looking at me). He's right there in the corner and he's looking at us," Thompson said.
Jobu's spot in the dugout on gamedays is always in LSU's helmet cubbies, facing home plate. Given LSU's offensive success Thursday – it was the first time the Tigers hit two grand slams in a game since 2014 – and over the last two seasons, perhaps it isn't a coincidence that his stare toward the batter's box has produced hits for LSU.
"Whatever we've got to do to get some hits, we're going to do it," Jobert said. "We'll just give all praise to Jobu."
Koki Riley covers LSU sports for The Daily Advertiser. Email him at kriley@theadvertiser.com and follow him on Twitter at @KokiRiley.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: LSU baseball: How voodoo doll Jobu gets credit for Tigers' offense
