MLB bans Tommy Pham for slapping opponent over fantasy football dispute | MLB

Cincinnati Reds’ Tommy Pham was suspended from Major League Baseball for three games on Saturday after he slapped him. San Francisco Giants Defender Jock Pedersen due to a row over the Fantasy Football League.

As the Giants warmed up on the field ahead of Friday’s series opening, 34-year-old Pham confronted Pederson and punched him in the face before their split.

Pham said Saturday that there were some “unsettling” things going on in the fantasy league, and Pederson also made “disrespectful” comments about Pham’s former team, the San Diego Padres.

“We had a lot of money on the line, so I look at it like there was a token,” Pham said. Pham also said Pederson was “messing around with my money”.

Pederson admitted to reporters on Saturday that “there’s a lot of money involved” and said Pham was telling the truth.

The outspoken Pedersen even showed reporters the gif he sent harassing the Padres players who were in group chat about their struggles on the pitch last season. Pederson was with the Atlanta Braves at the time, and Pham was playing in San Diego.

“In the group chat, there were also some — there were more than one padre, and there were four or five, and I’m kind of close to two of them,” Pederson said. “It was supposed to be a friendly thing, just make fun that they’re playing badly, and just talk back and forth. And yes, [Pham] He didn’t like it and replied, “Jook, I don’t know you well enough to make any jokes like that.”

Pedersen read what he had written on his cell phone to reporters. “It was all supposed to be fun and games. No hard feelings. Sorry if I took it that way. And about two weeks later, after the fourth or fifth week, he ended up leaving the league and there has been no contact since,” Pederson said. Like I said, it’s true I sent a gif making fun of Padres and if I hurt anyone’s feelings, I apologize for that.

“Because they were a really good team. So, it was kind of ironic that they didn’t play well to make the playoffs with a very talented team,” he explained. “I mean, I was a teammate with some of them and I was supposed to be fun, and I understand that everyone takes jokes differently. So like I said, I apologize for that, and I’m looking forward to getting past this and showing up tomorrow without any distractions and trying to help this team win a ball game “.

Reds manager David Bale said he had spoken to Pham about what had happened, but declined to share what he had said.

Pedersen said after Friday night’s game that he was charged with cheating for putting a player on the substitute for an injured player in the fantasy football league. Pederson said the player was ruled out this week, making it legal. He said Pham performed the same maneuver with his team.

“You sent a screenshot of the rules, and how you explain that if a player is disqualified, you are allowed to put them in [injured list] And that’s all I was doing,” Pederson said. “He did literally the same thing. That was basically it.”

Pederson said he had no prior notice that Pham might encounter him during the series in Cincinnati. “There was no arguing. He kind of came up and said, ‘Remember from last year?’ And I said, ‘Fantasy football?’

“I just want to make sure we’re ready to play a baseball game today,” Giants coach Gabe Kapler said on Saturday before his team’s 3-2 loss to the Reds. “Joc handled it very well. We can always talk about being irreverent. He was able to manage everything that happened.”

Journalists witnessed the brawl and it took place before the fans entered the stadium.