Tommy Pham talks San Diego Padres, chances of winning World Series

ARLINGTON, Texas — After a big night at the plate on Saturday night in Game 2 of the 2023 World Series, former San Diego Padres outfielder Tommy Pham is one step closer to winning a World Series ring.

While Pham and Padres fans have been in the media in recent months for the wrong reasons, Pham mentioned the Padres on Saturday night after going 4-for-4 with a pair of doubles in Arizona's 9-1 victory. The 35-year-old Pham spent two seasons in San Diego (2020 and 2021), posting a combined 226/.335/.370 slash line and OPS+ of 97 in 686 plate appearances with the Friars.

Pham is chasing his first World Series ring and talked about some of his more recent stops along his 10-year MLB journey as potential opportunities to win a title.

"I don't think we play this game without the intentions of winning a World Series, especially when you have a team that you feel like you have a special group that could compete for a World Series," Pham told reporters inside Globe Life Field.

So did Tommy Pham think there was a chance to win a ring with the San Diego Padres?

Granted, one of the seasons Pham was with the Friars was the COVID-shortened 60-game season of 2020, but Pham told reporters he thought there was a "possibility" that San Diego could win it all while he was there.

"With San Diego, I thought there was a possibility," Pham said. "When I signed with the Reds, the Reds were going through a transitioning phase where — or a rebuilding phase, is the right term, which now I really think that team might be scary next year. They have some young guys over there that are pretty good."

Pham started the 2023 season with the New York Mets, a team that, on paper, was expected to compete for a World Series title. However, Pham was one of the pieces jettisoned by the Mets at the MLB trade deadline in an effort to recoup some losses and build toward next season. The trade with Arizona turned out to give Pham his best chance so far of hoisting the trophy.

"It's something that you dream about as a kid. I would say — I would definitely think throughout — if my career would end in, let's say, a few years from now, I would say that I dreamt about playing in the big leagues — or playing in the big leagues, playing in the World Series."