Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Tommy Pham received a one-game suspension and was fined an undisclosed amount by Major League Baseball for “inappropriate actions toward fans” during Wednesday’s 3-0 Pirates win over the Los Angeles Angels.
Pham is appealing the suspension, which was scheduled to be served in Friday’s series opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Thus, he is in Pittsburgh’s lineup Friday, batting sixth and playing left field.
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The incident in question occurred during the fifth inning of Wednesday’s game. Pham ran down a double by Travis d’Arnaud into the left-field corner and was touched on the back by a fan who was reaching for the ball with his glove.
Pham immediately turned to look at who touched him and glared at the fan before throwing the ball back to the infield. Following the play, as the 12-year veteran went back to his position, he gestured at the fan with, as MLB put it, an inappropriate action.
Or, as the Angels’ broadcast described Pham’s gesture, Pham said “hello to the crowd.”
Pham followed that by motioning for the fan to come onto the field, where they would presumably settle their dispute face-to-face. That was a markedly different way of handling the situation than what Mookie Betts and Mike Trout did when fans attempted to interfere while they tried to make catches.
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Additionally, Pham told reporters before Friday’s game that he spoke with his lawyer regarding his legal rights in the incident. However, what he meant by that isn’t clear.
Some might remember Pham explaining last year after a confrontation with the Milwaukee Brewers’ William Contreras that he’s “always prepared to f*** somebody up” by training to fight in the offseason. That might not have gone so well for the spectator, who obviously would not have been allowed to confront Pham.
Both of these incidents are part of a rather long list of altercations in which Pham has been involved, including a 2022 incident in which he slapped Joc Pederson over a dispute in their fantasy football league. Earlier in the season, Pham challenged Luke Voit to a fight after a hard slide at teammate Tyler Stephenson.
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In 2023, Pham got into a verbal altercation with a fan heckling him in the on-deck circle during a game versus the San Diego Padres. The fan claimed that Pham was looking to pick a fight, but Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo defended Pham, saying the Padres fans were saying “some terrible things” to the outfielder.
Pham signed a one-year, $4 million contract with the Pirates in February, making Pittsburgh the 10th team he has played for during his major-league career.
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