It turns out Tommy Pham almost made his Boston Red Sox debut on Opening Day.
The 34-year-old slugger revealed that he came very close to signing a deal with the organization in the offseason, but was not able to agree to terms and elected to sign with the Cincinnati Reds. For that reason, he had a comical reaction when he found out he would be joining the Red Sox one day prior to the Major League Baseball trade deadline.
“I was like, ‘(expletive), Chaim. We could have done this about (four) months ago,'” Pham told the Boston Globe’s Alex Speier, referring to Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom. “But I’m glad I’m here.”
After Pham’s walk-off hit on Friday over the rival New York Yankees, Boston fans might be wishing the right-handed hitter arrived sooner. He’s been a productive hitter for the Red Sox. Pham is hitting just .227, but has collected four doubles and three home runs in just 10 games with the team.
All three major-league additions to the roster via trade — Eric Hosmer, Reese McGuire and Pham — have proven to be solid contributors, with the Red Sox sitting four games back of an American League wild-card spot.
