MLB bans Tommy Pham for slapping opponent over fantasy football dispute

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Tommy Pham was suspended by Major League Baseball for three games on Saturday after he slapped San Francisco Giants outfielder Joc Pederson because of a dispute about their fantasy football league.

While the Giants warmed up in the outfield before Friday’s series opener, the 34-year-old Pham confronted Pederson and smacked him in the face before the pair was separated.

Pham said Saturday there was some “sketchy” stuff going on with the fantasy league, and Pederson also made “disrespectful” comments about Pham‘s former team, the San Diego Padres.

“We had too much money on the line, so I look at it like there’s a code,” Pham said. Pham also said Pederson was “messing with my money.”

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

A candid Pederson even showed reporters the gif he sent teasing Padres players who were in the group chat about their struggles on the field down the stretch last season. Pederson was with the Atlanta Braves at the time, and Pham was playing for San Diego.

“In the group chat there was also some – there was more than one Padre, there was four or five that, I’m kind of close with a couple of them,” Pederson said. “It was supposed to be a friendly thing, just making fun of they were playing bad, and just talking back and forth. And yeah, [Pham] did not like that and he responded, ‘Joc, I don’t know you well enough to make any jokes like this.’”

Pederson read from his cell phone to reporters what he wrote back.

“It was meant to be all fun and games. No hard feelings. Sorry if you took it that way.’ And then about two weeks later, after like Week 4 or 5, he ended up leaving the league and there’s been