San Francisco Giants left fielder Joc Pederson. Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Joc Pederson avoided going onto field to avert Tommy Pham in 2021

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated 6/27/22

At first, it seemed hard to believe that Cincinnati Reds outfielder Tommy Pham had been planning to slap Joc Pederson for over a year over a fantasy football grudge. The more we learn, the more we realize how serious Pham has been about it for quite some time.

The latest evidence comes from Atlanta Braves pitchers Josh Tomlin and Tyler Matzek, both of whom played with Pederson in 2021. Matzek revealed that when the Braves played a series in San Diego against Pham’s Padres in late September, Pederson actually avoided going on the field prior to the games so he would not get slapped.

Braves pitchers Tyler Matzek & Josh Tomlin talk about how Joc Pederson didn’t leave the clubhouse in San Diego last year because Tommy Pham wanted to slap him

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“This was going on all last year,” Matzek admitted in an episode of “The Chris Rose Rotation.” “We would hear about this in our clubhouse before this ever happened. The biggest one was when we went to San Diego, end of the year, and he literally did not leave the clubhouse. Joc did not leave the clubhouse because he knew Tommy Pham was out there and Tommy Pham wanted to slap him and beat him. So he just stayed inside the clubhouse, didn’t take BP for three days, just hit inside the cage, and then would come out to the game.”

Matzek suggested that Pederson had gone out and encountered Pham this season because he assumed the issue had blown over. Pederson was obviously wrong, especially when you consider how determined Pham was to get his revenge.

The Braves did play in San Diego from Sept. 24-26 last season. Just imagine if Pham had gotten his chance then. The whole ordeal could have impacted an actual playoff race.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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