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Padres' Pham plans to speak with MLB about fan abuse

Denis Poroy / Getty Images Sport / Getty

San Diego Padres outfielder Tommy Pham is tired of being taunted about an offseason incident in which he was stabbed outside of a strip club, and he plans to bring his concerns to Major League Baseball.

"I need to talk to MLB," he said, according to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. "The vulgarity this year, the gestures, I've never seen it at this level. I want to know if this is just because fans have been gone for a year and now they're back and acting a certain way. That (stuff) shouldn't be tolerated."

Pham said it's common for Petco Park fans to insult him about the incident, which resulted in the outfielder suffering what he called "catastrophic injuries" that required back surgery.

"Fans have been very disrespectful this year," he said. "I actually saw a fan who was talking (trash) to me. I saw him outside the stadium. I said, 'What's up? You still want to talk that (trash)?' He went completely blank. That just shows you people feel entitled."

The 33-year-old said fan behavior during road games has been even worse. Pham had a spectator removed during a contest in Houston earlier this season for directing abusive language and gestures toward him.

Pham, who heard the brunt of the insults during an early-season slump, has turned things around lately, hitting .325/.460/.525 with five steals in 13 games in June.

If his work at the plate isn't enough to silence the critics, Pham said he'll tune them out as best as he can for now.

"I'm a strong individual," he said.

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