CHICAGO — A collision in left field between San Diego Padres outfielder Tommy Pham and shortstop Ha-Seong Kim in Wednesday’s loss to the Chicago Cubs led to a short confrontation in the visitor’s dugout while Pham and Kim had to leave the game.
The incident occurred with the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth inning when Cubs catcher P.J. Higgins popped up a ball to short left field where Pham and Kim converged on it.
They collided with each other as Kim caught the ball, but it came out of his glove while he went to the ground. Kim was able to throw the it back into the infield for a double play as the runners on first and second froze thinking the ball was caught.
“Kim has to go through the concussion protocols,” Padres manager Jayce Tingler said after the game. “The doctors say he’s doing well. It doesn’t look like he has a concussion. We’ll monitor over the next day or so.”
Both players walked off the field on their own as Pham eventually had to have stitches below his chin. Before heading into the clubhouse, he was seen having words in the Padres dugout. Third-base coach Bobby Dickerson was involved in the confrontation, which Tingler quickly downplayed.
“Let me be clear on this, we have a passionate group,” Tingler said. “And passion is a good thing. At times, things are going to get heated.
“Passion is a good thing. Competitiveness is a good thing. We’ll move on and become closer because of it.”
The argument was apparently over communication regarding the popup. Tingler credited the collision, in part, to a loud home crowd at Wrigley Field.
“It was the perfect storm,” Tingler said. “A little bit of a language barrier and no matter how many times you practice it, [was] a packed house. Incredibly loud. Both guys got their bell rung.”
Outfielder Jurickson Profar added: “It’s a play that we practice all the time. A little miscommunication there. Those things happen. It’s not always going to be smooth.”
Pham will still need to be checked out, including a CT scan on his jaw, before returning to the field, Tingler said.
“We’re fortunate that they both walked off on their own,” Tingler said. “Certainly a scary situation.”
Tingler had some positive news about shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr, who left Tuesday’s game with right oblique tightness.
“With Tatis, we had a really good day today,” the Padres manager said. “It could potentially be more cramps, but we need to go through and test him before he’s ready to go.”
The Padres went 4-6 on their 10-game road trip, losing their final four games.