Although he’s barely made a name for himself with the Chicago White Sox, Tommy Pham has finally found his footing with the team. After being on the 10-day IL for the past couple of weeks, had it not been for a late-night elevator encounter with White Sox general manager Chris Getz, Pham would’ve still been sitting on the IL for another week. After convincing Getz to activate him off the IL for the White Sox matinee game against the Cleveland Guardians, he hit a three-run homer to give the White Sox a temporary 3-2 lead.
Although the White Sox eventually lost 6-3, Pham found a way to help produce for the White Sox after simply talking to the General Manager in the elevator.
Leading up to the game, the White Sox have been on a historic run after previously suffering back-to-back 100-loss seasons. They’ve held onto sole possession of first place in the AL Central for 74 consecutive days. After losing the matinee game to the Guardians, the White Sox no longer hold first place in the AL Central and are now a half-game behind Cleveland. After a strong summer, the White Sox are still in the mix for the AL Wild Card, but they can’t afford to lose any more games, as they’ve lost 7 of their past 10 games. His “elevator pitch” home run might be the spark the White Sox need to get out of their funk and save their season.
Tommy Pham’s “Elevator Pitch” to Chris Getz
Pham hasn’t had an easy season so far, bouncing between teams. Pham started the 2026 season with the New York Mets, where he went 0-for-13 with 7 strikeouts across 9 games in April. The Mets would later designate Pham for assignment on April 27th.
Over the next four months, he signed a minor league deal with the Baltimore Orioles in May, before being released in June. He then signed a deal with the Philadelphia Phillies and played in their farm system. During his time with both the Orioles and the Phillies, he didn’t have a single Major League Plate appearance with either team.
Eventually, the White Sox acquired the 38-year-old outfielder from the Phillies on August 31st. He made his debut on September 2nd as a pinch-hitter and went 0-for-1, bringing his season total to 0-for-14. Pham immediately hurt his calf in that game and went straight to the 10-day IL on September 2nd due to a left calf strain.
The night before Pham would be activated, the White Sox suffered a crushing 7-6 walk-off loss to their AL Central division rivals, the Guardians. Late that night, Pham stepped into an elevator and found himself right next to White Sox general manager Chris Getz. Pham was supposed to stay on the IL for at least 3 or 4 more days, likely returning in the upcoming home weekend series against the Detroit Tigers. According to Brian Dulik of MLB.com, when he talked to Getz, he flat-out told him, “I could play today. I said, I’m ready.”
The next morning, the team put Pham to the test as he went out early to run the bases pregame and prove his calf could handle the strain. Luckily, his calf held up, and Getz officially activated Pham from the 10-day IL; manager Will Venable immediately penciled Pham into the high-pressure cleanup spot (4th) as the designated hitter.
After starting the game 0-for-2, grounding out in the first inning and striking out in the fourth, Pham soon shook off his season-long rust in the top of the fifth inning. With Chase Meidroth and Randel Grichuk hitting back-to-back singles, Pham came up to the plate looking to spark the White Sox and get them back on track. Pham later delivered, crushing an 80-mph curveball 412 feet into the left-center field bleachers to give the White Sox a 3-2 lead.
The White Sox lost 6-3, but Pham’s home run proved that a single player’s raw conviction could instantly inject life into a team running on empty. As the White Sox fight for a playoff spot, either with a division title or a wild-card spot, Pham’s “elevator pitch” story to be activated off the IL and help the White Sox in any way possible should be a rally cry to turn their season around. With just 9 games left in the 2026 regular season, each game counts, and the White Sox must take advantage, not suffer a late-season collapse. Luckily, the White Sox won 3-1 Thursday night against the Tigers, keeping them in the race for the AL Central.
