The Reds aren’t just beefing with Chicago Cubs players! (UPDATE BELOW, BECAUSE HOLY SMOKES.)
Apparently something went down on the field BEFORE the Reds-Giants game this evening, which is not something you … ever? … see. It was old friend Joc Pederson and Tommy Pham having some kind of disagreement and even having to be separated:
Developing situation. A Reds player and someone from Giants had to be separated in left field during. BP. Members of both teams ran out there.
— Mark Sheldon (@m_sheldon) May 27, 2022
This is all I could see. pic.twitter.com/wUPN4VSvjt
— Mark Sheldon (@m_sheldon) May 27, 2022
UPDATE: The two players reportedly involved were Joc Pederson and Tommy Pham https://t.co/UuBfXiU5U5
— KNBR (@KNBR) May 27, 2022
The teams are only just now digging into what the heck happened, so there’s not much to say yet:
Gabe Kapler said he’s aware of an incident that went on between the Giants and Reds during BP, but he wasn’t prepared to comment on it because the team is still investigating. Tommy Pham and Joc Pederson were reportedly involved.
— Maria I. Guardado (@mi_guardado) May 27, 2022
We’ll see if there’s any spillover into the actual game, which might depend on what exactly happened between Pederson and Pham, who played in the same division for the 2020 season. Either way, Pederson should be careful – Pham knows Muay Thai.
UPDATE: I was joking, Tommy. This is crazy stuff:
Tommy Pham slapped Joc Pederson "Will Smith-style" during Reds batting practice on Friday, according to multiple sources. The Reds scratched Pham shortly before the game started at 8:48 after a rain delay https://t.co/sxHqurxcYi
— C. Trent Rosecrans (@ctrent) May 28, 2022
Reds outfielder Tommy Pham slapped Giants outfielder Joc Pederson in an altercation before Friday's game, multiple sources tell @ctrent and @extrabaggs.
Sources say the Giants asked for Pham to be removed from the lineup prior to the game.https://t.co/YTLGDL5mqV pic.twitter.com/w6ByYggNSv
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) May 28, 2022
According to multiple sources, the beef stems from a disagreement the two had in a group text for a fantasy football league that includes players from several teams.
Both Pham and Pederson are in their first seasons with their current teams. Pham has played for the Cardinals, Rays and Padres. Pederson has played for the Dodgers, Cubs and Braves.
This is one of the craziest stories I’ve ever heard. One baseball player SLAPPED another baseball player because of FANTASY FOOTBALL TEXT THREAD FIGHT. Pederson fully explained what happened here.