Cincinnati Reds outfielder Tommy Pham on Saturday said he agreed to a three-game suspension for slapping San Francisco Giants outfielder Joc Pederson on the cheek over a fantasy football dispute prior to Friday's game.
MLB said Pham was suspended for "inappropriate conduct" and was also fined. The suspension was retroactive to Friday and runs through Sunday, when the Reds' series with the Giants concludes in Cincinnati.
On Friday, Pham had confronted and smacked Pederson while the Giants warmed up in the outfield. The pair had to be separated.
Pham on Saturday said the dispute stemmed from an old text sent by Pederson to the fantasy league's group chat in which Pham says Pederson disrespected his teammates on the San Diego Padres, for whom he played last season.
"I slapped Joc," Pham told reporters Saturday. "He said some s--- I don't condone. I had to address it.
"... It was regarding my former team [Padres]. I didn't like that and I didn't like the sketchy s--- going on in the fantasy. We had too much money on the line, so I look at it like there's a code. You're f---ing with my money, then you're going to say some disrespectful s---; there's a code to this."
Pederson acknowledged to reporters Saturday that "there was a lot of money involved'' and said Pham was telling the truth.
A candid Pederson even showed reporters the GIF he sent teasing Padres players who were in the group chat about their struggles on the field down the stretch last season.