The Giants and Reds are beginning a three-game series on Friday night in San Francisco, and Cincinnati outfielder Tommy Pham will likely get a cold reception from Bay Area fans.
Pham was suspended for three games earlier in the season after slapping Giants outfielder Joc Pederson before a Reds-Giants game in late May. The slap came as a result of a fantasy football dispute over which Pham harbored resentment.
Now, Giants fans may be harboring some of that same resentment toward Pham. After all, he hit one of the team's best power hitters (16 homers) hard across the face.
MORE: Why Tommy Pham slapped Joc Pederson, explained
Despite that, Pederson is hoping that San Francisco fans won't focus too much on Pham during the weekend-long series. He just wants to keep moving forward.
"It's an unfortunate incident, and I feel like we've moved past it,'' Pederson said, per ESPN. "It was an off-field issue, handled and moved on. It's in the rearview mirror.''
Indeed, the issue was handled. Pham served a three-game suspension and didn't play in the first Reds vs. Giants game of the series. Pederson, Pham and even Mike Trout, who served as the fantasy league's commissioner, addressed the incident and have worked to put it behind them.
That's part of why Pederson is asking the fans not to be too hard on Pham. He doesn't want anything to happen that could exacerbate the attention between him and Pham.
"I think our fans are classy and respectful," Pederson told reporters, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. "There's a respect level that needs to be held up, and when you see games in New York or wherever they were where they start throwing stuff on the field that is not OK and doesn't help any situation. It makes it so much worse. So just keep it respectful."
MORE: Joc Pederson breaks out pearl necklace in return to Atlanta
We'll soon see if the fans oblige. We'll also see whether the Giants have any retaliation or revenge planned as they take on Pham for the first time officially in 2022.
