Padres News: Tommy Pham Calls Out ‘Disrespectful’ Friars Fans After Verbal Altercation
The San Diego Padres lost the first game of the doubleheader to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday, and the big hit came from former Padre Tommy Pham.
In the top of the fifth inning in a 3-3 ball game, Pham hit a two-run home run to give the D-Backs the lead, one they wouldn't surrender the rest of the way.
While that home run had to feel good for Pham against his former team in a huge game, he actually had a little extra motivation for it following his first at-bat.
Ahead of his first at-bat, Pham got into a verbal altercation while in the on-deck circle. You can take a look at this video here which shows the argument, but as a warning, there's vulgar language in the message:
Pham explained the situation to reporters after the game, and was understandably not happy with the Friars fan.
“I’m all about good banter,” Pham said. “He stepped out of line and said something that I don’t (take well). The fans here, I just don’t get it. Not even at the field. Even away from the field. Just completely disrespectful. I don’t know. Maybe they weren’t raised right. Because I was always taught respect until someone doesn’t give it to you.”
Pham also talked about another incident where a fan approached him at the hotel and used vulgar language at him, leading to his conclusion about Padres fans being disrespectful.
Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo chimed in on the incident, too, and it didn't make Padres fans look any better.
“These fans are awful to Tommy,” Lovullo said. “I hear some terrible things coming from the stands. It’s not just the normal “You’re a bum” stuff. It’s deeper. It’s ugly and I’ve been uncomfortable from my vantage point and I just noticed there was some sort of discussion happening between him and somebody near the on-deck circle, and it’s my job to protect the players. I’m going to have the player’s back every single time. I don’t know the details of it. I just didn’t like what was coming out of these fans’ mouth and it’s real. I’m not making that up. If you get near our dugout, you’d be amazed at what’s being said.”
Like Pham said, playful banter is one thing, but whatever is being said to Pham is clearly crossing a line.
Fans have to understand that even though there's a physical barrier between them and the players, they have no right to speak to them in a disrespectful way.
Sometimes fans get a little out of control when interacting with athletes, but it's important to remember that they're human beings, too.
The fan was not ejected from the game, but it'll be interesting to see if anything transpires after.
