Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider thinks that Tommy Pham lacks relevance.
The Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Pham was at the center of benches-clearing incident against the Blue Jays during Monday’s game between the two teams. In the bottom of the seventh inning at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pa., Pham was up at the plate with Pittsburgh leading 3-2.
Pham managed to draw a four-pitch walk, giving the Pirates runners on first and second with one out. The 37-year-old celebrated the walk by doing an overly emphatic bat flip.
The bat bounced hard off the plate, and Blue Jays catcher Tyler Heineman, who was behind the dish at the time, took exception to it. As a result, Pham circled back to jaw with Heineman, and both benches ended up emptying. Here is the video.
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
After the game, which Pittsburgh held on to win 5-2, Toronto manager John Schneider was asked about the incident. Schneider responded with some shade for Pham.
“I’m not worried about Tommy Pham’s opinion about anything, really,” said Schneider. “We have to worry about us. Things get said … But [I’m] really not worried about what Tommy Pham thinks about anyone.”
“I’m not worried about Tommy Pham’s opinion about anything, really.”
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) August 19, 2025
John Schneider comments on the Heineman and Pham incident in the seventh inning. pic.twitter.com/ztOhy9d9b3
Pham is notorious for his volatile personality and has been involved in too many heated incidents over the years to count (including one this year where he made an obscene gesture at fans during a game on the road). But Schneider is probably right not to be too concerned about Pham considering that Pham is a .259 hitter this season playing on a team that is 20 games under .500.
