Benches and Bullpens Clear in Pirates vs. Blue Jays
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates and Toronto Blue Jays had a tense moment in their series opener at PNC Park, that could've ended much worse than it did.
Pirates left fielder Tommy Pham walked on four pitches in the bottom of the seventh inning and flipped his bat in front of Blue Jays catcher Tyler Heineman. Pham looked back at Heineman and the two got into it, leading to both benches and the bullpens emptying and coming in to support their teammates.
Pham eventually turned around and Blue Jays first baseman Ty France came up to him, but quickly let him go. Blue Jays center fielder George Springer and Pirates third baseman Isiah Kiner-Falefa both came over to Pham and calmed him down, as both teams eventually went back to their respective dugouts and benches.
Benches cleared in Pittsburgh after Tommy Pham bat flipped a walk, but cooler heads prevailed pic.twitter.com/wLkuXZJj7u
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) August 19, 2025
Replay focused on Pham and Heineman shows Heineman complaining about the fourth ball call, but not to Pham, but to home plate umpire Mark Ripperger. Heineman tells Pham, 'I'm not talking to you,' showing the confusion between the two and that Pham's emotions likely got the best of him in the moment.
Alternate angles
— Platinum Key (@PlatinumKey13) August 19, 2025
Heineman: "I'm not talking to you" pic.twitter.com/XtlVm6HRiw
Pham took to Twitter after the game and said he had an issue with Heineman complaining to the umpire and flipped his bat in response to that, saying that Heineman should know where the strike zone is.
Bitching about a ball not being called a strike to the umpire when it’s clearly below the zone and away is disrespectful not only to the umpire but the hitter as well so like I said when I flipped the bat fuck him @KeeganMatheson dude has two years in the show I know the zone
— Tommy Pham (@TphamLV) August 19, 2025
No players nor coaches received ejection and the game went on as played, as the Pirates added two runs on in the bottom of the eighth inning in the 3-2 win.
This game also featured Ripperger ejecting Blue Jays manager John Schneider in the top of the seventh inning after he argued against a strike call against pinch-hitter Davis Schneider.
The Pirates have only had one other instance with benches clearing this season, which took place against the Washington Nationals at PNC Park on April 16.
Pirates right-handed starting Mitch Keller had accidentally hit Nationals third baseman Paul DeJong in the game prior, knocking DeJong out for the game.
Nationals right-handed pitcher Jorge Lopez hit Pirates designated hitter Bryan Reynolds and then threw at right fielder Andrew McCutchen's head, which led to the two arguing and the benches clearing.
The umpire crew ejected Lopez and the Pirates would go on and win 6-1, thanks to a late grand slam from center fielder Oneil Cruz.
Tommy Pham has had altercations this season, but with fans, not with other players on the field.
The first occurred during a Spring Training game against the New York Yankees on March 5, where he shouted out at a fan, "I bet you got a little [expletive] too."
Pham also showed off an inappropriate hand motion to a fan during a game against the Los Angeles Angels at Angels Stadium on April 23, after the fan touched him on the back during a play at the left field wall.
That earned Pham a one game suspension, that he served in the series opener vs. the New York Mets at Citi Field on May 12.
Pham also got a fan ejected in the second game of a doubleheader vs. the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on June 19.
The Pirates and Blue Jays face off two more times in this series, on Aug. 19 and on Aug. 20, where they could be more chances for a potential flare up again.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.