Arizona Diamondbacks Torey Lovullo received flak mid-game for taking out Tommy Pham to put in Jace Peterson during the ninth inning.
On other days, that is a normal move for a coach, but the decision meant denying Pham a chance to reach an exclusive record of 5-on-5 in the World Series.
However, unbeknownst to fans, that was a call made by Pham himself, a decision Lovullo described as a "team moment."
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"Tommy Pham came to me and I know that he said so I'm going to openly say, he came to me and said, I need you to get my boy [Jace Peterson] an AB," Lovullo explained.
"And I said, Are you sure? 100 percent sure? And I gave him some contingencies. I said if it's 7-1, that's the only score I'll allow it to happen. 7-2, lefty-right, I'm going to reconsider it and I'll circle back to you. We all know what happened."
What happened was that Peterson pinch hit for the outfielder's teammate and grounded into a forceout.
Peterson unaware of the record, too
The reserve infielder said he was unaware of the record that Pham could have achieved. He was thankful for the opportunity to be at-bat in a World Series but insisted that he wanted Pham to get the 5-on-5, too.
"He's that kind of guy," Peterson said. "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."
Truly a remarkable sportsmanship from Pham.
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