Tommy Pham’s D-Generation X moment did not go unnoticed by Major League Baseball.
MLB announced on Friday that they are suspending the Pittsburgh Steelers outfielder Pham for one game and also fining him an undisclosed amount. The league release said that the punishment for Pham was because of “his inappropriate actions towards fans” during Wednesday night’s game against the Los Angeles Angels.
In the fifth inning of Wednesday’s game, which was played in Anaheim, a fan made contact with Pham on a ball hit into the left field corner. Pham glared at the fan but ultimately returned to his position.
Then when Pham heard some heckling coming from the same area, he did an obscene stroking gesture toward that direction. Here is the video of the full sequence.
Pham has chosen to appeal his suspension. Thus, he remains in the lineup for Pittsburgh’s series opener on Friday against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The veteran outfielder Pham, who is on his 10th career MLB team, has a long history of confrontational and otherwise hot-headed behavior. Most notably in 2022, Pham was suspended three games for slapping opponent Joc Pederson before a game over a fantasy football dispute (video here). In more recent years, Pham still continues to make the headlines for his rash behavior and even put himself right in the middle of a benches-clearing incident involving the Pirates last week.
Pittsburgh ultimately went on to win Wednesday’s game 9-3 and also took two out of three games from the Angels in the series. But that series still came at a cost for them as Pham once again proved unable to control himself.
