Reds’ Pham predicts no love given by Giants fans
Another chapter in the saga involving Giants outfielder Joc Pederson and Cincinnati Reds left fielder Tommy Pham — otherwise known as the slap heard ‘round the world — will begin Friday night when the two teams start a threegame series at Oracle Park.
Pham, with tongue firmly planted in cheek, predicted what kind of response he’ll hear from Giants fans.
“Clapping,” a smiling Pham told the Cincinnati Enquirer earlier this week, adding that he did not wish to discuss last month’s incident with Pederson any further.
This weekend’s series between the Giants and Reds marks the first meeting between the teams since late May. On May 27, Pham, upset over a fantasy football tactic, approached Pederson in the outfield at Great American Ballpark and delivered a hard, openhanded slap across Pederson’s cheek.
The incident landed Pham a three-game suspension, as he was banned from participating in the series between the teams in Cincinnati.
As one of the best hitters for a Reds team that has the worst record in the
National League at 23-46, Pham figures to play in all three games this weekend, although Cincinnati manager and former Giant David Bell had not released his lineup for the series opener as of early Friday afternoon.
Pham, who is hitting .253 with 10 homers and a .781 OPS, also faced a hostile environment when he returned to San Diego in April. Pham, in his first season with the Reds, played for the Padres for two seasons and responded to the boo-birds by going 5-for12 in the series with two home runs.
Pederson on Thursday said he was hoping Giants fans would not go all-out with the jeering of Pham. First pitch Friday night was at 7:15 p.m., with games Saturday and Sunday starting at 4:15 p.m. and 1:05 p.m. respectively.
“There’s a respect level that needs to be held up,” Pederson said. “When you see games in New York or wherever they were when they start throwing stuff on the field, that’s not OK. It doesn’t help any situation. It makes it only worse.”