Benches cleared during Monday night's game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Toronto Blue Jays, when Tommy Pham flipped his bat after drawing a four-pitch walk. Blue Jays catcher Taylor Heineman objected to the play, and didn't agree with some of the ball calls during the at-bat. Pham took offense to that, which led to a heated exchange.
Benches cleared in Pittsburgh after Tommy Pham bat flipped a walk, but cooler heads prevailed pic.twitter.com/wLkuXZJj7u
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) August 19, 2025
“I don’t even know him,”Heineman said after the game. “No idea. Barely know who he is.”
Just as he did after the at-bat, Pham made a quick U-Turn and response when he was challenged on X.
“[Expletive] 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 wrote. “So like I said when I flipped the bat, [expletive] him.”
Pham then took matters a step further when prompted by a Blue Jays fan who said the 37-year-old should "just retire and start a family."
“Your profile pic is of someone who takes steroids, loser,” Pham wrote in a since-deleted post. The user, whose profile picture was of Blue Jays pitcher Addison Barger, a player who was suspended for PEDS back in 2019, wasn't entirely incorrect.
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Tommy Pham gets quick revenge on the Toronto Blue Jays
In the games since the exchange, Pham has kept his cool and let his bat do the talking. He had a hit on Tuesday night and backed that up with a two-run double in the bottom of the first inning on Wednesday.
It came as a surprise that Pham wasn't traded by the Pirates at the deadline, a fact Ben Cherington could be regretting at this juncture. There is still a chance Pittsburgh places Pham on waiver in hopes of saving some money off the remainder of his 2025 contract. At 37, there's little doubt Pham would welcome the opportunity to play for a contender and use that inner fire come the postseason. However, it's also safe to assume the Blue Jays will not be placing a waiver claim after this exchange.
Tommy Pham got the best of his rivals without throwing a punch this time
Pham has been no stranger to off-field conflict in his career. While he's been a capable outfielder – and would be a decent depth piece for any contender with his slightly below-average .702 OPS – his attitude can get in the way of the greater good at times.
In 2022, when Pham was a member of the Cincinnati Reds, he famously slapped then-San Francisco Giants outfielder Joc Pederson in a heated pregame exchange about fantasy football. The league, which was run by Angels star Mike Trout, took a turn for the worse when Pederson made a waiver claim Pham found to be illegitimate. The slap heard around baseball led to a three-game suspension for Pham.
This time, violence was avoided.