Tommy Pham left stunned by Rangers coach Mike Maddux's reaction to pick off play
PHOENIX — Tommy Pham, a 35-year-old journeyman appearing in his first World Series, had the opportunity of a lifetime, a chance to be forever remembered in baseball history.
He was bidding to go where no man has gone for 119 years, becoming the first player to go 5-for-5 in a World Series game.
Pham will instead be remembered for his act of selflessness, sacrificing an opportunity for personal glory, providing his Arizona Diamondbacks teammates, one in particular, a memory they’ll never forget.
“That spoke volumes,’’ Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said, “about what that clubhouse feels every single day.’’
The Diamondbacks will step onto the field on Monday night in their first World Series game at Chase Field since 2001, playing Game 3 against the Texas Rangers (5:03 p.m. ET on FOX), and it wouldn’t surprise a soul if the sellout crowd brings the house down when Pham is introduced for his gesture heard ‘round the baseball world.
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The scene was the eighth inning of Game 2 Saturday in the D-backs’ 9-1 rout over the Rangers. Pham was due to bat second in the ninth with a chance for history. He already had become the 18th player in World Series to go 4-for-4, but no one had ever gotten that fifth hit in five at-bats.
Pham walked up to Lovullo in the dugout.
He had a request.
He wanted to come out of the game as the designated hitter. Please, he asked, give his at-bat to Jace Peterson, a fellow journeyman, who had never had a World Series plate appearance.
“I need you to give my boy an AB,’’ Pham told Lovullo.
Lovullo: “Are you sure you want this to happen. You 100% sure?’’
Pham: “I need my boy to get an at-bat in the World Series. He'll remember this for the rest of his life. …You may or may not use him in another role, but right now I want to step aside for him."
Lovullo, unaware there was a chance for history, reluctantly agreed, but told him that if the Rangers scored another run or two in the bottom of the eighth inning, Pham would remain in the game.
“Look, me and him have close to nine years of service in this game, and it took us nine years to get the World Series,’’ Pham said. “Who knows if we’ll get this chance again. I’ve gotten to play. I’ve gotten my hits. I wanted to make sure Jace had this experience, too.
“I had to get my dawg in.’’
Peterson, who knew Pham from a distance, but never got to know him until they were each traded to Arizona at the deadline, was stunned. The only player who ever did that for him was Adam Jones when they were together in Baltimore in 2018 when Peterson was trying to reach some contract incentives.
But those were in regular-season games when the Orioles were out of the race.
To do it now?
In a World Series game?
“This was a moment where it was a teammate loving a teammate,’’ Lovullo said, “to give him an opportunity. He took what mattered most to him personally and said, “It’s more about the team and my teammate at this moment.’’
It was this act of unselfishness that overshadowed the moment when Pham was caught wandering off second base. He was picked off, and the FOX-TV cameras caught Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux’s reaction.
“Atta boy, you dumb (expletive).’’
Pham, who played for the Cardinals in St. Louis in 2018 when Maddux was the pitching coach, says he was stunned, a bit hurt, and certainly disappointed by Maddux’s reaction.
“I was just a little shocked that he would say that,’’ Pham told USA TODAY Sports. “I get it. Heat of the moment. But he knows me. He knows me well.
“I’m just shocked at that. I would expect him to be a little bit better.’’
When asked if he would speak to Maddux, Pham declined and said, “Success is the ultimate revenge. So, let’s just try to beat him. I’ll ty to let my game do my talking.’’
When reached before the Rangers’ workout Sunday at Chase Field, Maddux was apologetic, saying he certainly didn’t intend to demean Pham, particularly knowing him from their Cardinals’ days with both of them also growing up in Las Vegas.
“He’s a pro’s pro, who plays the game the right way,’’ Maddux told USA TODAY Sports in a text message. “Nothing but respect for Tommy and everyone on the field. Tommy is a class player and great teammate. Our Vegas connection will always stay true.’’
Besides, the Rangers certainly don’t need to further fuel Pham’s intensity, not after going 5-for-9 the first two games with two doubles and a homer. Pham joined future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols as the only players with three four-hit games in their postseason career.
“Man, me and Albert together,’’ Pham said, “that’s unbelievable.’’
Pham, who proved instrumental getting the D-backs into the postseason with 20 extra-base hits and 32 RBI, found himself struggling in the NLCS. He was pinch-hit for in Game 4 against Philadelphia, and benched in Game 5.
He aired his grievances with Lovullo, and came back with a vengeance, hitting a homer in his first at-bat in Game 6.
“It wasn’t pretty,’’ Pham said of his meeting with Lovullo. “But it was an honest exchange. It was healthy.’’
Said D-backs first baseman Christian Walker: “A lot of people dance around the truth these days. Tommy’s not that guy.’’
It’s this fiery disposition, aside from his talent, that led the D-backs to take a last-minute run at Pham before the Aug. 1 deadline. Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen didn’t even make a call to then-new York Mets GM Billy Eppler. They were focused on trying to acquire a starting pitcher, and only after landing closer Paul Sewald from the Seattle Mariners, did Hazen reach out.
The Mets placed Pham on the trade block weeks earlier, but until the D-backs called just two hours before the 6 p.m. ET, Aug. 1 trade deadline, the Mets had only three teams who even exchanged names for Pham. The D-backs wound up giving up only 17-year-old shortstop Jeremy Rodriguez, who wasn’t even among their top 30 prospects, with the Mets agreeing to pay half of Pham’s remaining $6 million contract.
“I was a little bit surprised,’’ Hazen said. “We weren’t running on multiple fronts during the course of the day. We knew we wanted a position player, but the pitcher was the biggest priority for us. So by the time we knew we hadn’t gotten a starter, and we had gotten Sewalk, that’s when we turned our attention to a position player.
“He’s exactly the fit in the clubhouse we were hoping he’d be. He’s got an edge to him, and the players love him.’’
Pham’s popularity soared overnight when his teammates learned of his gesture, with Pham making it public simply to stop the criticism of Lovullo, with fans believing he was the one responsible for denying Pham the chance for history.
“I'm not on Twitter,’’ Lovullo said. “I'm not on social media. But my family will send me things.
“And I guess I was the idiot in the room that took Tommy Pham out of the game to be the first guy to get five hits.’’
The truth is that no one knew it would be a World Series record, and while Pham said it wouldn’t have altered his decision, it may have affected everyone else’s.
“If I had known that,’’ Peterson said, “I probably would have said, 'No! You’re going to change this record.’ I had no idea, honestly. For me, it was just him being a great teammate and showing what kind of guy he is.
“There’s a respect for each other and the way we go about it. I mean, I would do anything for him and I feel like he would do anything for me in any situation, whether it’s in baseball or outside baseball.’’
But, the guy had a chance to carve his name in the record book, accomplishing a feat that not even Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Tony Gwynn or any all-time great managed to do in a World Series game.
“It’s awesome, records are unbelievable,’’ Peterson said, “but for me, and I’ll speak for him, all that matters is getting that ring. That’s why we play the game.’’
When the World Series is over, Peterson plans to express his gratitude with a present, but sorry, there’s no need for a surprise.
Pham knows exactly what he wants, and it’s much, much more than a couple of fantasy football championships.
“I was always hoping to be in the World Series,’’ Pham said, “and now that we’re here, I want to take advantage of this opportunity. You never know if it’s going to come around again.
“We’re not done yet.
“Not until we get that ring.’’
Follow Bob Nightengale on X @Bnightengale.
