Pirates’ Pham pins blame on Heineman for bench-clearing bat flip
Published
Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Tommy Pham took to X late Monday night to shed some light on his confrontation with Toronto Blue Jays catcher Tyler Heineman that caused the benches to clear.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, Pham was walked by Jays reliever Brendon Little and proceeded to flip his bat before heading down to first base. He didn't make it too far before turning back to jaw at the Jays catcher.
Following the game, the veteran outfielder said he took exception to Heineman complaining about the calls made by home plate umpire Mark Ripperger.
“B—-ing about a ball not being called a strike to the umpire when it’s clearly below the zone and away is disrespectful not only to the umpire but the hitter as well,” Pham posted on X. “So like I said when I flipped the bat f—him. Dude has two years in the show I know the zone.”
After the 5-2 loss, Heineman was asked about the incident and said he didn't say anything to Pham and was confused with his reaction.
“I don’t even know him. No idea. Barely know who he is,” Heineman told reporters in Pittsburgh. “It was weird, man. It was weird. It was unprovoked and super weird."
Blue Jays manager John Schneider, who was in the clubhouse at the time of incident after being ejected earlier in the game, didn't seem to have much time for Pham in his post-game comments.
“I’m not worried about Tommy Pham’s opinion about anything, really," he said. "I’m worried about our defence. I’m worried about our at-bats.”
The Jays committed three errors in the loss to fall to 73-53 on the season but still sit atop the AL East, five games ahead of the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox.