Padres' Tommy Pham is stabbed in the back outside a San Diego strip club after 'telling the attacker to get away from his car'
San Diego Padres outfielder Tommy Pham is recovering from surgery after being stabbed in the back Sunday night outside a local strip club.
Pham was stabbed shortly after 10:30pm outside the Pacers Showgirls International gentlemen's club, police Lt. Shawn Takeuchi told the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Video of the aftermath of the incident emerged on Tuesday, showing Pham in a white shirt with blood splattered along his back near his belt line.
Pham apparently didn't know the attackers, who remain at large, he said.
San Diego Padres outfielder Tommy Pham is recovering from surgery after being stabbed in the back Sunday night outside a local strip club
Video of the aftermath of the incident emerged on Tuesday, showing Pham in a white shirt with blood splattered along his back near his belt line
Pham was stabbed shortly after 10:30pm outside the Pacers Showgirls International gentlemen's club, police Lt. Shawn Takeuchi told the San Diego Union-Tribune
'While it was a very traumatic and eye-opening experience for me, I'm on the road to recovery and I know I´ll be back to my offseason training routine in no time,' Pham said in a statement released by the team.
Two people who said they spoke with Pham told the Union-Tribune that Pham was leaving and saw an argument taking place near his car. One person told the paper that Pham was attacked after asking the arguing people to get away from his car.
Pham was stabbed in the lower back and the wound pierced all three layers of skin but didn't damage any organs, according to a statement from the Padres. The team said he was in good condition and is expected to fully recover.
'I'd like to thank the incredible medical staff at UC San Diego Health for taking such great care of me last night,' Pham said in a statement released by the team. 'I truly appreciate the hard work of the San Diego Police as well as they continue their search for the suspects.'
Anyone with information in the matter has been asked to call the SDPD's Western Division at (619) 692-4800. Tips can be provided anonymously by calling Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
Pham, 32, was traded to the Padres last year after six seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays and St. Louis Cardinals.
Remarkably, this is not the first time Pham has been stabbed.
This is not the first time Pham has been stabbed. In 2018, after suffering a batting cage accident that resulted in a cut to his head, he told reporters that the head trauma was nothing compared to other injuries he's endured. Fox Sports' Jim Hayes followed up with Pham, revealing that the previous stabbing was the result of a domestic dispute with his stepfather
In 2018, after suffering a batting cage accident that resulted in a cut to his head, he told reporters that the head trauma was nothing compared to other injuries he's endured.
'I've in been in some real pain before,' he said in 2018, as quoted by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. I've been stabbed. I've been through a lot, let's just say that. I felt pain, but the only thing was that I couldn't get the blood to stop.'
Fox Sports' Jim Hayes followed up with Pham about the incident, revealing that the previous stabbing was the result of a domestic dispute with his stepfather.
'Tommy Pham gave me the back story on being stabbed,' Hayes tweeted in 2018. 'He said about 5 yrs ago his step father stabbed him just below the rib cage while they were fighting. Tommy said he was Ok, but there was quite a bit of blood.'
He hit .211 this year with three home runs, 12 RBIs and six stolen bases in 31 games, then batted .375 (9 for 24) in six postseason games before San Diego was eliminated by the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday.
Pham previously tested positive for COVID-19 on July 3 before the pandemic-delayed season began.
Pham hit .211 this year with three home runs, 12 RBIs and six stolen bases, then batted .375 (9 for 24) in six postseason games before San Diego was eliminated by Los Angeles on Thursday