Sometimes, even a perfectly struck baseball can fall victim to something no hitter can control. Tommy Pham learned that the hard way when his 106.1 mph blast at a 31-degree launch angle traveled 366 feet on Saturday, only for a strong Chicago wind to rob him of what looked like a sure home run. Understandably stunned by the bizarre turn of events, Pham apparently wasn't ready to let it go unanswered.
So when MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred showed up around the Chicago White Sox dugout on Monday, Pham found his opportunity. Rather than simply move on from the unexpected robbery, the veteran outfielder spoke with the commissioner himself. What followed, however, was far from a heated exchange, turning an unusual on-field heartbreak into a light-hearted moment between the two.
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"Rob, what's going on with the balls?" Pham launched directly at Manfred ( via the Chicago Sun Times
).
"What balls?" the response came.
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"I can't be hitting no-doubters, man, and not helping them get out," said Pham. "How am I supposed to get a job next year if that ball don't go out?"
In the sixth inning on Saturday, with the White Sox leading 2-0, Pham stepped up looking for insurance runs. Cleveland Guardians left-handed reliever Erik Sabrowski was on the mound. He threw a first-pitch fastball down the middle. Tommy Pham jumped all over it, unleashing a massive swing that absolutely clobbered the baseball.
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Pham dropped his bat to celebrate. Believing the ball was gone, Miguel Vargas sprinted around the bases. But Guardians left fielder Angel Martinez had other plans. He sprinted back to the wall, timed his leap perfectly, and shockingly caught the ball right against the high left-field wall.
"I said I hit that one less than the other one [on Saturday], and it went out," Pham added. The White Sox veteran had been crushing the ball in batting practice, sending a few moonshots. Per Pham, some of those shots went beyond the fence despite having lower exit velocity.
A crucial home run was missed, and considering Pham's 1-year, $780,000 contract
with the White Sox, he joked about a lack of jobs next season if such robbery continues.
The inning ended in a double play: Martinez fired to second baseman Travis Bazzana, who flipped to first baseman Nathaniel Lowe, catching Vargas off base.
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However, while Pham had a playful confrontation with Manfred, it may have reignited the debate around MLB ball.
"We are aware of an increase in average drag this season and have provided information to the Major League Baseball Players Association on this issue as our experts continue to study any potential causes beyond normal variability in a product made by hand with natural materials," MLB spokesperson Glen Caplin said in June 2025.
A similar concern was raised by Pirates' Andrew McCutchen around the same time last year. In an X post, he wrote:
"I was told by a rep for MLB that the balls are indeed different this year. They stated "higher seams," which produces more drag on baseball, causing baseballs to not travel as far as they should."
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Pham's confrontation may just offer real-world evidence about the reduced drag of the balls in 2026.
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