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Joc Pederson thinks Tommy Pham's slap of his face was their first in-person interaction

May 27, 2022; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; San Francisco Giants left fielder Joc Pederson (middle) stands at third base with San Francisco Giants third base coach Mark Hallberg (91) during the second inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports
May 27, 2022; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; San Francisco Giants left fielder Joc Pederson (middle) stands at third base with San Francisco Giants third base coach Mark Hallberg (91) during the second inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports

Among the most interesting details from San Francisco Giants outfielder Joc Pederson's discussion with reporters about Cincinnati Reds outfielder Tommy Pham slapping him - in Pederson's words - before Friday's game at Great American Ball Park over a disagreement about stashing a player on IR in a fantasy football league: that Pederson said "it was over a year ago" and added that he didn't think he'd ever spoken previously to Pham in person.

On Saturday, Pham said he was suspended for three games. More from The Enquirer's Bobby Nightengale via Twitter:

From ESPN's Jeff Passan via Twitter:

Video of Pederson's Q&A with reporters from @NBCSGiants via Twitter, and additional video from @JohnSheaHey:

It's possible Pederson meant last NFL season - meaning 2021 - when he said "over a year ago." If the debate over league rules in a group text that Pederson described didn't really happen "over a year ago," then it's possible Friday night during batting practice was the first opportunity Pham had to confront him.

But Pederson said he didn't ever remember chatting with Pham face-to-face before Friday - which is surprising. They must have at least come close to meeting.

In March 2020, both Pham and Pederson were among several MLB players on hand for a Pujols Family Foundation event at Topgolf in Scottsdale. Photos from each player's Instagram:

Pham only played in 31 games for the Padres in 2020, and Pederson only played in 43 games that season for Los Angeles. But they both played in all seven Dodgers-Padres games in August of that season, and the two teams also met in the NLDS that year.

In 2021, Pham and Pederson played in all six games in which the Padres faced the Cubs before Pederson was traded in July to the Atlanta Braves. Both played in five Braves-Padres games - three in July and two in September.

After Friday's incident, Pham agreed - per the Reds - not to play in the game, a 5-1 Reds win. Pederson was 1-for-3 with an RBI.

Pederson added - per a tweet from the San Francisco Chronicle's John Shea - that he doesn't expect to be in another fantasy league with Pham:

Many of Pham's tweets over the past couple of years involve fantasy football.

We don't know which league it was in, but Pham tweeted in January that receiver Davante Adams - Pederson's teammate at Palo Alto High School - carried "Team Phamly Tree" to a win in a fantasy championship game:

Pham tweeted one week earlier about his win against "TMT Machado":

In Feburary, he pointed out that he won the championship with Jalen Hurts at QB:

In April, Pham said a slide by the San Diego Padres' Luke Voit into Tyler Stephenson that concussed the Reds' catcher was "dirty as (expletive)" and suggested that he and Voit could settle their differences at a San Diego gym.

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This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Joc Pederson thinks Tommy Pham's slap was first in-person interaction