“The ball in Chicago was deader than on the road” - Tommy Pham recalls peculiar issue behind White Sox's offensive struggles
The Chicago White Sox have been the worst team in the MLB this season and former White Sox Tommy Pham recalled a peculiar reason that could've contributed to the team's offensive struggles this year.
Tommy Pham grabbed the headlines after a grand slam on his return to the St. Louis Cardinals last week. Pham was traded to the team that drafted him at the trade deadline in July.
During his conversation with senior journalists Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman on "The Show" podcast, Pham shed light on an incident that made him question the baseballs used this year.
“I thought the ball in Chicago was deader than on the road,” Pham said “I complained to MLB about that, but it of course got nowhere.”
The veteran outfielder also talked about a specific incident that made him suspicious of the quality of the balls used in the MLB this year.
He said:
“You guys remember that ball that I hit, and [Colton] Cowser robbed me in center field? It was off [Craig] Kimbrel. It said it was 102 [mph exit velocity] at 20 [degree launch angle]. I was looking up at the scoreboard, you know, when he caught it to see how hard I hit.
I was kinda looking like there's no way I just hit that ball at 102. It felt like at least 105-plus. The balls feel really soft this year. There's been reports that the drag is down. You know there's a reason why the offensive numbers are way down, and the pitching is better this year. There's no coincidence."
Chicago White Sox continue to struggle after streak-snapping win
The Chicago White Sox have been one of the least productive teams on the plate and it's not a surprise they are at the bottom of the list for home runs this season by American League teams and second lowest among all MLB teams.
Although the White Sox managed to get over the line against the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday to end their wretched run of 21 consecutive losses, an AL record, their joy was shortlived after another defeat on Wednesday.
They are fifth in the AL Central with an abysmal 28-89 record and are on pace to go well over the 100-loss mark this season.