Why was Tommy Pham suspended and fined by MLB? Reasons explored
Pirates outfielder Tommy Pham faced disciplinary actions by the MLB for his obscene gesture towards an Angel fan during Game 2 of the three-game series between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the LA Angels in Anaheim, California on April 23.
Pham was fined an undisclosed fee and also received a one-game ban by the disciplinary committee.
"Tommy Pham is being suspended and fined for inappropriate actions towards fans during Wednesday night's game," tweeted Jomboy Media (via MLB Communications).
Angels catcher Travis D'Arnaud hit a sinking sweeper by Andrew Heaney towards the left field. Pham rushed to get the ball on the dirt track, near the left-field wall. While he fielded the ball, an Angel fan brushed his glove against Pham's back, which the outfielder didn't appreciate.
After the incident, Pham made an obscene hand-jerking gesture towards that fan and asked the authorities to evict him from the stands.
Take a look at the incident here:
"A fan reached over the fence and touched Tommy Pham while making a play on the ball. Safe to say he did not appreciate it," tweeted Jomboy Media.
After the incident, the fan was asked to vacate his seat and leave the ballpark. Soon after, Angels fans booed Pham during his at-bats in the second half of the game. Tommy responded by driving in a run in the top of ninth inning to help the Pirates to a 3-0 shutout victory.
Pham won't be serving the one-game suspension in the series opener against the Dodgers on Friday night, as he has appealed the disciplinary actions taken against him. Until the appeal is settled, Pham won't be asked to pay the fine or face the suspension.
It wasn't the first time Pham has had an altercation with fans mid-game. On March 5, during a spring training game against the Yankees, he had a rough back-and-forth with a fan in the stands.
Tommy Pham is having a sub-par campaign at the plate
The veteran outfielder hasn't started the 2025 MLB campaign on the right note. The Pirates signed him to a one-year, $4 million contract in the offseason to add much-needed depth in their batting lineup. But, Pham has been dissapointing with his at-bats.
He has .184 batting average, with no home runs, six RBIs, .491 OPS, 14 hits of 76 at-bats and has struck out 23 times in 23 games this MLB campaign. His offensive projections for the 2025 season have been dissapointing.