MILWAUKEE — Tommy Pham got straight to the point when speaking to the media after the White Sox loss by 6-3 against the Brewers Sunday afternoon at American Family Field.
He was also upset. Maybe not as angry as he was after being thrown out at the plate by Brewers catcher William Contreras to end the eighth inning after coming from third base on Corey Julks’ short fly ball that took the lead. left fielder Christian Yelich. Apparently, Contreras said something to him after the play. Pham had to be held back by hitting coach Marcus Thames, among others.
And it wasn’t so much an interview as a statement by Pham.
“I play for one run. A close play at home plate. In fact, he wasn’t even [grosería] close,” Pham said after Chicago’s 11th consecutive loss, the club’s longest streak since July 1956. “It was a short fly ball to left field. You would expect the left fielder to throw out the runner on that play.”
“The game situation, you know, the third base coach [el cubano Eddie Rodríguez] sends you, you have to go. They put me out at home… by a lot. I go to the dugout and hear the bully (Contreras) saying a lot of [grosería]”.
“So, I’m never going to start anything, but I’ll be prepared to finish it,” Pham added. “There’s a reason I do all kinds of fights in the offseason, because I’m prepared to hurt someone. So you can take it for what it is.”
Contreras wasn’t really paying attention to what Pham was saying. He was excited by the play, returning to the dugout after keeping his club ahead by one run. The Brewers have had bench-clearing incidents against the Orioles, Rays and Red Sox this season, but they were kept under control against Chicago.
“Tommy is just trying to say, ‘I can play for you guys, man. Take me there. Look, I’m just like you, I can do that,’” Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy joked. “I like Tommy Pham. I know he has been criticized for several things, but he plays with intensity and competes hard. I do not know what happened”.
“That’s the play of the game,” said Contreras. “That helped us stay positive and keep attacking. The only thing I worry about is ourselves, our players and winning the game.”
The White Sox are now 30 games under .500 with a 15-45 record, extending the worst start in franchise history. They have lost 11 straight games, 15 of 16, and the first five hitters in their Opening Day lineup are on the injured list or dealing with some type of issue, although Cuban Luis Robert Jr. is expected to return Tuesday against the Puppies.
This team is banged up and in the ditch, but continues to battle, especially with a competitor like Pham leading the way.
“They got a little emotional, and Tommy took it personally,” said Paul DeJong, who homered in the loss. “We’re here trying to play fair, stay healthy, and it was one of those things. It is a matter of frustration with the team and it is unfortunate that it happened that way.”
