Mets' Tommy Pham makes good contact with new contacts
Tommy Pham #28 of the Mets celebrates after hitting a home run against the Miami Marlins during the fifth inning of the game at loanDepot park on April 02, 2023 in Miami, Florida. Credit: Getty Images/Megan Briggs
MIAMI — Tommy Pham is able to see the ball significantly better at the plate and in the field, he said, after receiving new contact lenses that help him manage a rare eye condition.
Those lenses came in Friday and he wore them Sunday when he powered the Mets’ offense in a 5-1 victory over the Marlins. He went 3-for-4 with a home run, double, walk, steal and three RBIs. Tim Locastro scored two of those runs after twice getting hit by a pitch.
“I felt like everything was way different in a good way,” Pham said.
In 2008, he was diagnosed with keratoconus, which he described as a thinning of the cornea. In 2011, he had surgery to stabilize the shape of his corneas — an attempt to prevent future warping.
His eyes nonetheless require frequent management, including experimenting with different kinds of contacts. The ones he had in spring training weren’t quite right, at least for trying to hit, so he went to a South Florida eye doctor Thursday, hours before the first pitch of the Mets’ season, for some “fine-tuning.”
Now they work. This is “probably the best I’ve seen on defense in years,” he said. “I’m the guinea pig in the big leagues for my eye condition. For the most part, we’ve had it under control in my career.”
Brandon Nimmo had a scheduled day off, so manager Buck Showalter said he went with Pham in centerfield (over Mark Canha and Locastro) and at leadoff (over Jeff McNeil and Canha) because he had the most experience at those spots. Starling Marte has played center and batted first more than the above names, but he prefers to stay in rightfield/No. 2 hole.
“It’s good to have your manager’s trust,” Pham said. “It makes you feel even more confident as a player.”
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
