Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Tommy Pham got into a very heated and nasty argument with a fan at Petco Park in San Diego on Saturday during Arizona’s 6-4 win over the Padres.
In the first game of a doubleheader, Pham was seen approaching a fan and yelling at him.
The Major League Baseball player accuses the fan of calling him “a piece of ****,” which the fan denies. “Don’t disrespect me like that,” Pham added while continuing the chastise the fan.
When another fan tells Pham to “go strike out,” that set him off again and the Diamondbacks player kept going.
“It’s always funny when you’ve got a white man — a white man — feel like they can disrespect me,” Pham said, pointing to his chest. … A black man or a Latin don’t do that ****.”
At that point, the hitter in front of Pham completed his at-bat and he left for the plate.
The person who posted the video on social media provided their own explanation of what happened.
Tommy Pham has some severe anger management issues. He was just waiting to go off on someone. This vid is from my wife after he started losing his shit. I’m not there today. Brian is the guy who sits directly in front of us.
In the 3 season we have had our tickets, he has never… pic.twitter.com/pVtWkQ1C7k
— Patrick Dailey (@PatrickDailey) August 19, 2023
“Tommy Pham has some severe anger management issues,” X user Patrick Dailey explained. “He was just waiting to go off on someone. This vid is from my wife after he started losing his ****. I’m not there today. Brian is the guy who sits directly in front of us.
“In the 3 season we have had our tickets, he has never been disrespectful to a player. He might take some light hearted jabs but nothing he has ever said has elicited a response like this. The “Go strike out” jab was after he started going off. I’ll also go on record on saying that he teases the white players just as much as the minorities in the league. It’s disappointing to see Pham go straight to the race card.”
After the game, Pham addressed the altercation with the media.
“I’m all for good banter, he stepped out of line, he said something that got him kicked out,” Pham said. “Fans here, man, I just don’t get it. Not even at the field, even away from the field — completely disrespectful. Maybe they weren’t raised right because I was always taught respect until someone doesn’t give you it.”
[NY Post]
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.