Pirates' Tommy Pham Destroys Bat in Dugout
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PITTSBURGH — Pittsbugh Pirates outfielder Tommy Pham has a history of showing his anger and he did so in the most recent game.
Pham struckout to leadoff the bottom of the ninth inning against the New York Yankees at PNC Park, with the score tied at 4-4.
He then went into the dugout and absolutely destroyed his bat out of frustration.
Tommy Pham hit more things in the dugout than he has on the field https://t.co/CteokaDHgb
— Connor Roberts (@BigManeBobby) April 6, 2025
Pham was 0-for-3 after that at-bat, with three striekouts, although, he did have a sacrifice fly, which gave the Pirates a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning.
The Pirates led 4-1 through eight innings, as left-handed pitcher Andrew Heaney put in an incredible performance, with just five hits and one earned run over seven innings, plus 10 strikeouts.
Pittsburgh then struggled in the ninth inning, as they allowed three runs and forced it into extra innings.
Pham would eventually come through for his team, as he singled in the 11th inning, scoring Jack Suwinski for the walk-off win.
Tommy Pham breaks out of an 0-for-17 slump with the game-winning hit for the Pirates. They salvage the final game of the series against the Yankees, winning 5-4 in 11 innings. pic.twitter.com/Ycxmubqgg4
— Dan Zangrilli (@DanZangrilli) April 6, 2025
Even with the walk-off, Pham has had a poor season so far for the Pirates, hitting .100/.200/.133 with just three hits in 30 at-bats, three walks and 11 strikeouts.
The Pirates signed Pham as a free agent this offseason on a one-year $4 million deal, with $250,000 in incentives.
Pham slashed .266/.330/.380 for the White Sox in 70 games last season, before they traded him to the St. Louis Cardinals, prior to the trade deadline. Pham slashed .206/.286/.368 in 23 games for the Cardinals, who then designated him for assignment on Aug. 30.
The Kansas City Royals eventually signed him off waivers on Aug. 31, where he hit .228/.250/.337. in 23 games. He also played in their postseason run, with 5 hits in 15 at-bats for a .333 batting average with two RBI.
Pham came up through the Cardinals minor league system, as they took him in the 16th round of the 2006 MLB Draft, with a $325,000 signing bonus, forgoing his college commitment to Cal State Fullerton.
He eventually made it to the MLB on Sept. 7, 2014 and spent the majority next four seasons with the Cardinals, 2015-18.
His best season in the MLB came in 2017, where he slashed .306/.411/.520, with 22 doubles, 23 home runs, 73 RBI, 25 stolen bases, 71 walks to 117 strikeouts in 128 games.
The Cardinals traded Pham to the Tampa Bay Rays on July 31, 2018 during the trade deadline, where he spent the rest of that campaign and the 2019 season.
The Rays then traded Pham to the San Diego Padres on Dec. 6, 2019, where he played the next two seasons, but never hit above .230.
Pham then spent the 2022 season with the Cincinnati Reds and the Boston Red Sox, plus the 2023 season with New York Mets and the Arizona Diamondbacks.
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.