Louis Cardinals relievers support Jayson Tatum by wearing his jersey before game

Jayson Tatum has received plenty of support from his hometown of St. Louis over the years.

Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) during Game 2 of the NBA Finals. The Boston Celtics hosted the Dallas Mavericks at TD Garden on Sunday, June 9, 2024.Jayson Tatum has received plenty of support from his hometown of St. Louis over the years. (Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff)

 

The St. Louis Cardinals found a unique way to honor hometown kid Jayson Tatum in the midst of the NBA Finals.

On Tuesday, the Cardinals’ bullpen paid homage to the Celtics star by wearing his jersey while warming up for their home game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

According to Cardinals pitcher Andrew Kittredge, closer Ryan Helsley came up with the idea for an on-field shoutout to Tatum, who is looking to secure his first championship with the Celtics in the coming days.

Tatum posted a picture on Instagram expressing his appreciation to the Cardinals, adding “@Cardinals much love” over a photo of the entire St. Louis bullpen draped in green jerseys.

Tatum has regularly praised his hometown city and his strong ties to the community, with the Celtics star and his son, Deuce, throwing out the first pitch at a Cardinals game last August.

Even Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk, who has bounced the Bruins from the playoffs the last two seasons, has offered up his support for Tatum. Tkachuk and Tatum both attended Chaminade College Preparatory School, an independent Catholic school for boys in St. Louis.

“Yeah it’s actually really cool when you think about it,” Tkachuk said at the Stanley Cup Final Media Day on Friday, per NHL.com’s Tracey Meyers. “Everyone from St. Louis, whether they were going to watch or not, with having both of us in, I’d say there’s a lot of people, especially the kids we grew up with and families and people who know us, they’re pulling for both teams. It’s super cool to have that support back home for not only myself, but for the Celtics as well.”

Tatum shared the love for his former high-school classmate on Tuesday.

“I’m a big Matthew fan. We went to school together. I actually watched him win last night,” Tatum said. “Trying to learn and understand the rules in the game of hockey more and more. I got to watch the game last night. They won. Like I said, I’m extremely happy for him and his family. Hopefully they win it all.”