Why he didn’t bat fifth when one hit would have made major league history.
“I wanted him to get his first World Series at-bat.”
Tommy Pham (Arizona Diamondbacks) went 4-for-4 with a double and two RBIs while batting fifth in the lineup in Game 2 of the 2023 Major League Baseball postseason World Series against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, on April 29.
Prior to the World Series, Pham had appeared in 11 postseason games, batting .214 with nine hits and a .590 OPS. However, he turned it up a notch with a home run in Game 1 of the World Series on June 28.
And in Game 2, his bat was on fire. After getting a hit in his first at-bat, Pham hit a double with two outs in the top of the fourth inning with a 1-0 lead. This was followed by an RBI single by Luerdes Gurriel Jr.
Pham’s bat didn’t cool down as he doubled with two outs in the top of the sixth. Gurriel followed with an automatic walk. However, he was thrown out at the plate by Alec Thomas to end the inning.
In the eighth inning, Pham led off with a single to complete his four-hit game and later scored on Ketel Marte’s single with two outs. In the top of the ninth, Pham had another chance to step up to the plate. However, pinch-hitter Jayson Peterson came to the plate.토스카지노 주소
If Pham had gotten a hit in his fifth at-bat of the game, he would have made Major League Baseball history. According to MLB.com, “Pham is the first player to go 4-for-4 in a World Series game since Pablo Sandoval in 2012 with the San Francisco Giants. No player in World Series history has ever gone 5-for-5 in a World Series game.”
However, Pham didn’t come to bat, and he explained on social media after the game why he pinch-hit for Peterson. ”I asked manager Torrey Robullo if Peterson could pinch-hit for me,” Pham said, “I wanted my teammate to have a chance to get his first at-bat in the World Series.” Robullo called it a “true team moment.
“It was a true team moment,” Robullo said, “and I’m going to say it publicly, because I know what he said. Pham came to me and said, ‘We need to give Peterson a chance to get up to bat.'”
Peterson first broke into the big leagues with the San Diego Padres in 2014, but was unable to make the postseason. He was traded to Arizona from the Oakland Athletics in the middle of the season and is experiencing fall baseball for the first time. He appeared in two games in the Division Series against the Dodgers. He played one game in center field and one game as a pinch hitter. After no further action, he was called up by the farm system to bat in the World Series. He struck out, but it was a day to remember for him.