Pham asked to sit so Peterson could get AB in WS
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Jesse Rogers, ESPN Staff Writer
PHOENIX — Calling it a “true team moment,” Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo had nothing but praise for outfielder/designated hitter Tommy Pham after the veteran offered to give up his final at-bat in Game 2 of the World Series on Saturday in order for teammate Jace Peterson to get a turn at the plate versus the Texas Rangers.
“He came to me and he said, ‘I need to you get my boy an [at-bat],'” Lovullo recalled on Sunday. “And I said, ‘Are you sure? 100 percent sure?'”
Pham was. And so with the Diamondbacks leading 7-1 in the ninth inning, Peterson pinch hit for Pham, who already had four hits in the game. The reserve infielder grounded into a forceout, but Peterson can now boast he had an at-bat in a World Series contest.
“He’s that kind of guy,” Peterson said of Pham. “He’s a great teammate, a great player. He did an awesome thing that a friend would do. I really can’t say enough about it.”
Adding to the story is the fact that no player has ever gone 5-for-5 in a World Series game. Pham turned down the chance to be the first.
“We’re boys,” Pham said. “I wanted to do this for him.”
Peterson didn’t know about the possible accomplishment for Pham or else he might have felt differently about the gesture.
“If I would have known that, I probably would have said, ‘No, you’re going to chase this record,'” Peterson said with a smile.
After Game 2, Pham took to social media to defend his manager. Pham wanted to make sure people knew he didn’t get taken out of the game so much as he offered to come out.
“This was a moment where it was a teammate loving a teammate to give him an opportunity,” Lovullo said. “He took what mattered most to him personally … and said it’s more about the team and my teammate at this moment. That spoke volumes about what that clubhouse feels every single day.”
The Diamondbacks went on to win the game 9-1, evening the Series 1-1.
Game 3 will take place Monday at Chase Field here, and without knowing how the rest of the Series will play out, the at-bat on Saturday could be Peterson’s only one in the Series.
“He told me, ‘Get ready, I’m going to give you this last one,'” Peterson recalled Pham saying. “I think more guys than you think would do it. I’m sure there are some guys out there that would want that record, but I would say the majority of guys would do it, especially in this clubhouse.
“It was awesome to get in there and get an at-bat.”
Wisconsin will start true freshman quarterback Carter Smith at No. 2 Indiana on Saturday, sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel, replacing Danny O’Neil after the sophomore was carted off the field with a right leg injury last week.
O’Neil was injured on a 21-yard keeper during the first quarter of last Saturday’s 13-10 win over then-No. 23 Washington. He had a towel over his head as he was carted to the locker room.
Smith made his season debut following O’Neil’s injury, completing 3 of 12 passes for 8 yards while rushing for 47 yards and a touchdown.
Also available to the Badgers at quarterback is senior Hunter Simmons, who is 48-for-95 for 485 yards with two touchdowns and five interceptions this season.
For Indiana, wide receiver Elijah Sarratt is doubtful to play, sources said. Sarratt, who is tied for the Big Ten lead with 10 touchdown receptions, injured his hamstring against Maryland on Nov. 1 and missed the Penn State game last week.
With Indiana having a bye next week, Sarratt is on track to return against Purdue on Nov. 28.
Quarterback issues have hindered Wisconsin all season and throughout coach Luke Fickell’s three-year tenure.
Billy Edwards Jr. was Wisconsin’s first-team quarterback at the start of the season, but he sprained his knee in the second quarter of the Badgers’ opener and has played only one full series since.
Tanner Mordecai missed 3½ games with a broken hand in 2023. Miami transfer Tyler Van Dyke tore his ACL in the third game of the 2024 season.
Wisconsin’s intended season-opening starting quarterback has been available for the entirety of only 11 of the 34 games the Badgers have played since the beginning of the 2023 season. The last time Fickell had his season-opening starting quarterback healthy for a full game was in a 27-13 victory over South Dakota on Sept. 7, 2024.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava will not play Saturday against No. 1 Ohio State because of a concussion, sources confirmed to ESPN.
Iamaleava was injured during last week’s loss to Nebraska. He began experiencing concussion symptoms after the game, according to On3, which first reported that Iamaleava would not play.
With Iamaleava out, redshirt sophomore Luke Duncan will make his first career start. Duncan has not attempted a pass in college as he tries to take down the top-ranked Buckeyes.
Iamaleava has thrown for 1,659 yards with 12 touchdowns and 7 interceptions in his first year with the Bruins after transferring from Tennessee.
He led UCLA to three straight wins in October, including a victory over then-No. 7 Penn State, but the Bruins (3-6) have lost two straight and need to win out to become bowl eligible.
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