Pirates' Tommy Pham Suspended, Fined for Obscene Gesture
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PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates left fielder Tommy Pham got himself into trouble with the MLB following an action he took in a recent game vs. the Los Angeles Angels at Angels Stadium in Anaheim, Calif.
Angels catcher Travis d'Arnaud hit a double off of Pirates left-handed starting pitcher Andrew Heaney in the fifth inning, which went to the left field wall on April 23.
Pham ran over, grabbed the ball and threw to the cut-off man, but an Angels fan touched Pham with their glove in the process.
He didn't care for the fan doing that and asked security to remove the fan from that part of the park, making a crude hand-jerking gesture in the process.
A fan reached over the fence and touched Tommy Pham while making a play on the ball
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) April 24, 2025
Safe to say he did not appreciate it pic.twitter.com/nKnZh7T3WX
Tommy Pham don't play pic.twitter.com/eB2yz0n8rI
— Danny no-hops (@danielscottmyer) April 24, 2025
The Angels fans booed Pham the rest of the game when he went up to bat. He would cap-off the Pirates 3-0 win, with an RBI single off a broken bat in the top of the ninth inning.
He also made an incredible play the night before in left field, as he robbed a home run from center fielder Jo Adell, which was the final out in the 9-3 win on April 22.
Michael Hill, Major League Baseball's Senior Vice President for On-Field Operations, announced that they are suspending Pham for one game and fining him for an undisclosed amount
Pham won't serve the suspension for the upcoming game vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodgers Stadium on Apri 25, as he has appealed this decision. He will serve this suspension and pay the fine if he loses that appeal.
He also had a incident with a fan during Spring Training against the New York Yankees on March 5, where he shouted out to them, "I bet you got a little dick too."
Pham has struggled from the plate this season for Pittsburgh, slashing .184/.267/.224 for an OPS of .491, with just 14 hits in 76 at-bats, including three doubles and six RBIs, plus eight walks to 23 strikeouts.
He did well the first two games of the series, with five total hits, marking the only two multi-hit games this campaign. He didn't play in the series finale, with Alexander Canario taking his place.
The Pirates signed Pham on a one-year, $4 million deal, with $250,000 in incentives on Feb. 6.
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.