SAN DIEGO – Tommy Pham knows how lucky he was to be in the starting line-up of the San Diego Padres on Sunday in their spring opener, four and a half months after he was stabbed in the lower back during an argument in a strip club parking lot.
It could have been a lot worse.
“The cut was deep. The doctor here basically told me that if he wasn’t that muscular, he could be dead or paralyzed,” the left fielder said during a video conference with reporters from Peoria, Arizona.
“I’m lucky. I’m lucky to be able to play.”
While being taken to hospital by ambulance on October 11, three nights after the Padres were eliminated from the playoffs, Pham was on the phone with general manager AJ Preller and trainer Mark Rogow.
“I thought I wouldn’t be able to play,” Pham remembers to club officials.
‘When I had the CT scan, the doctor said to me,’ I have good news for you. You can play. ‘
Pham said late last year that it would take 200 stitches to close the wound. A video posted online showed the bottom of his white shirt drenched in blood.
San Diego police are still investigating and no arrests have been made.
Preller said on Sunday that “it’s clearly not the kind of news you expect, that kind of phone call.”
Preller said Pham was “a fact of life in terms of talking about what was happening. The main focus for us was to make sure we were able to bring our doctors to the case and try to make sure we were smart about it. giving him every possible benefit in the care that I needed at the time. “
Preller said the first thing that stood out: “How lucky he was when he talked about a stab wound in one area, but that it was as deep and extensive as it was. If it was an inch in any direction, maybe a different result Once we got over that hurdle, with his work ethic and the way he attacks things and goes into the gym and takes care of himself, he would give himself every chance to to come back.
“He’s in top form. He clearly had several injuries last year. I think he’s ready to play.”
Pham said her recovery included bed rest and then flew to San Francisco every week for about six weeks to get Regenokine injections to help with inflammation.
“I’ve worked with some doctors to get to where I am because it’s only been about 4 1/2 months, and the time frame is usually a bit longer,” he said.
The injury affects you when you try to do squats and deadlifts in the weight room.
“My standards aren’t set yet. You really don’t have to squat or deadlift a lot to be a good baseball player,” he said.
After being traded from the Tampa Bay Ray to San Diego, 32-year-old Pham was limited to 31 games during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season due to a left hand injury that required surgery in mid-August. He hit .211 with three homers and 12 RBIs. He hit .375 in the playoffs.
In October he underwent another hand operation.
He says it is about 80%.
“I probably have more to prove because I’ve had a terrible year,” said Pham, reciting a series of inactive analyzes. “Moreover, this is also my year as a free agent. So I feel like I have more to prove.”
Pham said his perspective has not changed since the stabbing.
“I still see everything almost the same. If anything I would probably spend more money and stop saving so much because if I died I would feel like I have too much money in the bank and that I don’t live long enough. “