Tommy Pham Ran Into White Sox GM Chris Getz In An Elevator Last Night And Pleaded To Be Activated Early From The IL - Promptly Hits Massive Three Run Homer

Nick Cammett. Getty Images.

Today I learned that Tommy Pham is on the White Sox. Hard guy to keep track of these days with how many different uniforms he's put on. Over the course of his 13 year career he's played for 10 teams, several for multiple stints. 

After acquiring Pham from the White Sox, he played just one game before being placed on the IL with a calf injury. Nearing a return to the team this week, Pham ran into the team's GM Chris Getz in an elevator last night. He proceeded to make his case to be activated and play in the team's final game of their series against the Guardians on Wednesday. Pretty much the most important series of the year, as the two squad's battle it out to see who will win the Central and also snag a first round bye. Chicago entered today just a half game up on Cleveland for first. 

Well, whatever Getz heard from Pham was clearly enough. Today not only did he activate him, but Pham was put in the lineup batting cleanup. 

Now this could go one of two ways. Either you're a hero or it's a total misfire and you fuck yourself/the team. Also as the GM there, you need to be on guard from your own player because what athlete isn't going to try and push through an injury to play in a big spot? Well, the White Sox had been scuffling with their bats going cold at the wrong time. Guys like Murakami and Colson Montgomery have been invisible of late. 

So how'd he respond? How's a go-ahead three run homer. 

That was his first hit of the season! If that's me I'm striking out four times and grounding into a soul crushing double play with the bases loaded. Pham steps up there and blasts a three run homer. Belief in yourself is something else. I've got none of it. 

Pham later confirmed the story to ESPN. 

Advertisement

I'm picturing Pham monitoring the elevator all day long like a lunatic, waiting for the perfect moment to corner his GM and plead his case. Maybe he hit the emergency stop button in there too so he could have as long as he needed to lay it all out there. This kinda happened one time with the Yankees and Aaron Hicks. They pretty much ruled him out for the season with a flexor strain in his elbow, potentially needing Tommy John. One day in September he was on the couch and decided it was fine, sent videos to the team showing he could throw, got activated for the ALCS, and eventually hit a massive three run homer against Justin Verlander in the postseason.  The Yankees lost that series and Hicks eventually needed the surgery, but that's besides the point! 

Baseball makes no sense sometimes. There was really zero logic to putting Pham in the lineup besides gut and feel. He was 0 for 14 on the season between his brief Mets and White Sox stints, but that's the beauty of the sport. If he didn't say anything he's not up until the weekend, instead he's in there today hitting a monster homer to take the lead. 

(Yahoo) "He (Pham) said he ran into Chris Getz in the elevator last night and told him he was ready. 'What happens if you don't run into him?' 'Probably wait till this weekend,'" Rogers reported.

This story is way cooler if the White Sox pen didn't lay an egg after the homer and lose the game 6-3. Already wrote the blog and it's still a sick moment, but need to win the game for this to really matter and be the start of the World Series DVD. Not really something any White Sox fan probably wants to talk about now that they've officially blown their division lead. The Guardians are inevitable.