In the opening game of the Diamondbacks’ doubleheader against the Padres on Saturday, newly acquired outfielder Tommy Pham found himself in an altercation with an opposing fan while in the on-deck circle.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The incident unfolded after a fan released a video, accompanied by a text message that aimed to describe the factors behind the argument.
In the video, Pham can be heard repeatedly expressing his dissatisfaction to the Padres’ fan, addressing what he perceived as disrespectful behavior.
Tommy Pham getting into it with a fan ????pic.twitter.com/VA9oJjot6H
— The Game Day MLB (@TheGameDayMLB) August 19, 2023
After the Diamondbacks’ win, Tommy Pham provided further insight by sharing a description of another incident that occurred outside the team’s hotel, per Jesse Friedman.
On top of his fan altercation in the first inning, Tommy Pham described another outside the team hotel:
"She was drunk. 'F you, Tommy Pham, that's why we got rid of you.' I'm like, 'Lady, I reached free agency. They didn't get rid of me … In fact, they tried to re-sign me.'" pic.twitter.com/2Ip6akATfF
— Jesse Friedman (@JesseNFriedman) August 19, 2023
This prompted D-backs manager Torey Lovullo to come to Pham’s defense.
“Tommy Pham has been a tremendous teammate and intense competitor and has raised our standards here since he got here.”
Lovullo stated that this altercation wasn’t the first instance where he had heard ‘terrible things’ being shouted from the bleachers at Petco Park.
Torey Lovullo on the Tommy Pham incident:
"These fans are awful to Tommy … I don't know the details of it. I just didn't like what's coming out of these fans' mouth. It's real, I'm not making that up. If you get near our dugout, you'd be amazed at what's being said." pic.twitter.com/zkX66iiOrY
— Jesse Friedman (@JesseNFriedman) August 20, 2023
To cap it all off, Pham took to Twitter on Saturday night, issuing a challenge to the fan to undergo a lie detector test.
Since this guy wants to block me and act like his friend is a model citizen I’ll put 100k up if he passes a lie detector test saying he didn’t call me a piece of shit if he doesn’t pass which he won’t mlb bans him for life from all stadiums pic.twitter.com/E3PqXJB32z
— Tommy Pham (@TphamLV) August 20, 2023
Ironically, in the innings following this altercation, Pham went 2 for 3 at the plate, delivering a triple and a home run.
This played a significant role in the Diamondbacks’ 6-4 victory over the Padres in the first game of their doubleheader.
Stay tuned for further updates as the situation unfolds.
