Tommy Pham is indeed a benevolent king.
The Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Pham had a Game 2 of the World Series to remember on Saturday night. He went for 4-for-4 with two runs scored to help lead Arizona to a 9-1 victory over the Texas Rangers and tie the series at one game apiece.
Pham had a chance for a fifth hit in the ninth inning, which would have made him the very first player in MLB history to go 5-for-5 in a World Series game. But Pham was instead pinch-hit for by his teammate Jace Peterson.
The passed-up shot at history led some to question the decision-making of Arizona. But Pham clarified exactly why he was pinch-hit for in a comment that he posted to Instagram on Sunday.
“I asked [Dbacks manager] Torey [Lovullo] can Jace hit for me,” Pham wrote. “I wanted my dawg to get his first World Series at bat stop this narrative please.”
https://twitter.com/BenVerlander/status/1718600814082576683
You can understand where Pham was coming from. Peterson, 33, is a ten-year MLB veteran who didn’t even get a chance to play in the NLCS because he was left off the roster. Pham’s noble move helped Peterson make his first-ever World Series appearance (and only the sixth total playoff appearance of Peterson’s career). It also highlights the selflessness that the Dbacks have been playing with throughout their entire Cinderella run this postseason.
Pham has done plenty of damage in the at-bats that he has already gotten, hitting .314 with six homers and nine RBIs in the 2023 playoffs. But for as altruistic as Pham is, he is not one to be messed with either (as one Rangers figure may learn the hard way this World Series).
