St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Tommy Pham is getting rewarded for his stellar play, with more than just playing time…
Coming out of Spring training, Tommy Pham’s goals for the season took a major hit, when he failed to make the Major League squad for the St. Louis Cardinals, losing out to Jose Martinez for the club’s final roster spot.
Making the most out of his time playing for the AAA affiliate in Memphis, Pham perfected his craft, making adjustments to the kinks in his baseball armor.
It’s a good thing that he figured things out, because if not for his stellar production, there is no telling where the Cardinals would be in the standings without him.
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St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina made things a little more interesting with Pham at the beginning of the season, where he bet the slugger that he would not hit 20 homers, snag 20 bags, or be able to obtain a batting average of .300. If Pham were to win the bet, he’d receive an elobrate wrist watch. If Molina were to win, Pham would have to cough up $1,000 in cold-hard cash.
With two check marks off that list, all Pham has to do is basically maintain his current .306 mark, to fulfill the terms of the bet.
In a recent interview with STLtoday.com, both Cardinals players discussed the details of their wager.
There was no doubt in Molina’s mind that Pham would win the bet, and he’s more than okay personally being out of some hard-earned cash himself.
"I never had a doubt, but he’s still got to hit .300,. I’ve already got his watch at my home."
I’m sure that Pham is happy to potentially collect the fancy watch from Molina, but these accomplishments and records are more important to him than just some bling.
"With everything I’ve gone through this year, to have a 20-20 season is a proud moment for myself. It’s good to make history because they can’t take that from you. To steal the 20th base pushes me to hit a home run. It kind gives me that edge."
Pham is the first Cardinals player to achieve the feat of a 20/20 season, since Reggie Sanders in 2004. He also added to his 20 home-run total on Friday afternoon, with his 21st long-bomb of the season, in his team’s 8-2 loss to NL Central leading Chicago.
Next: St. Louis Cardinals are hitting full stride as October approaches
The St. Louis Cardinals look to rebound against Cubs this weekend, who they now trail by four full games in the standings, who are now just 1-6 in games played at Wrigley Field this season.