There’s nothing like acquiring a solid veteran during the trade deadline who actually gets hot exactly when you need him.
Well Tommy Pham can mash baseballs, argue with racist fans and still won’t apologize for slapping the chalk off the face of Joc Pederson over a fantasy sports bet last season.
Since joining Arizona, Pham has been doing his thing and the outfielder was once again the hero on Monday night, with a game-winning walk off two-run single to beat the Texas Rangers.
Tommy Pham Vs Racist Fan
On Saturday, the story out of San Diego should have been how Pham’s two-run homer in the fifth inning put Arizona up for good in a come from behind 6-4 victory over their division rival Padres.
Unfortunately, a verbal altercation with fans while Pham was in the on-deck circle became the highlight of the game.
As you can hear, Tommy made a point to highlight that the majority of excessive trash talk he receives has come from white men, something that Black players have pointed out in every major professional sports league in the world.
Pham, who is hitting .300 with two homers, six RBI and an .946 OPS over his last seven for Arizona, didn’t hold back when asked about the situation postgame.
“Fans here, I just don’t get it man. Not even at the field, even away from the field, it’s just completely disrespectful… Older white gentleman called me a piece of s***, so I don’t think that’s acceptable, especially when you’re so close to the on-deck circle. Neither does the security.”
The fans involved in the on-deck circle incident have denied saying anything to Pham.
Tommy hasn’t backed down from his claims, and offered up an opportunity for the man to clear his name by taking a lie detector test.
If the fan passed, Tommy offered up $100,000 to the fan for his time, but if he failed, Major League Baseball would ban him from every MLB stadium for life. Neither MLB nor the accused fan took the deal.
Pham Having Fan Trouble In San Diego
Apparently the verbal altercation wasn’t the first run-in Pham had with overzealous fans in San Diego during this trip, as he also mentioned an encounter outside the team hotel.
This certainly won’t be the end of Pham’s contentious relationship with Padres fans, but for now his focus remains on helping the Diamondbacks secure a playoff berth.
Arizona is 8-3 in their last 11 ballgames and trail the Chicago Cubs by one game for the final Wild Card spot.
Hecklers are a part of seemingly every form of live entertainment, and while Black players may not face the same racial slurs of the past there has certainly been an increase in disrespect and vulgarity from fans.
The sense of entitlement that many feel when purchasing a ticket to these events has reached new levels, especially amongst those who pay top dollar. While most are able to enjoy their close proximity to the action without overstepping, the frequency of these events should not be taken lightly.
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