“There’s no need for anyone to feel sorry for me” - When Tommy Pham opened up about his relationship with his father

Tommy Pham's road to the big leagues has not been as easy as others. He lacked the family support many professional athletes have, but that has not stopped him from making a name for himself.

Pham is currently in his 11th big-league season, and while he has had a great career thus far, it has not been without struggles. He opened up about some of these struggles in 2017.

Pham's relationship with his father, who has largely been imprisoned, took a toll on him. He explained the relationship and how it affected him during his professional career, via USA Today's Bob Nightengale.

"He had a long sentence but got out once and then went right back in for selling drugs again. He tried to keep in touch with me after that, but I didn't want anything to do with him," Pham said.

He explained that he had only met his father two times, both while he was in prison, and said:

"There's no need for anyone to feel sorry for me or anything like that. If anything, I felt like this kind of helped me. It made me stronger, made me tougher," Pham said.

Tommy Pham found intrinsic motivation through his struggles

St. Louis Cardinals - Tommy Pham (Photo via IMAGN)

While Tommy Pham watched many of his teammates growing up with the support of one or two parents, he often did not have any. While his father was in prison, his mother worked tirelessly to pay the bills and often missed Pham's games.

However, instead of sulking, he found a way to turn that into motivation. He quickly realized he was the only person he needed in his corner.

"I didn't have anyone sugarcoating anything or babying me. All I had was myself, and that was fine by me. I had all the motivation I needed," Pham said.

Pham started turning scouts' heads in Las Vegas as a high schooler. He then committed to play ball at Arizona University and later switched his commitment to Cal State Fullerton before being drafted in the 16th round of the 2006 amateur draft.

On Saturday, the Kansas City Royals picked Pham after the Cardinals released him. He will now be looking to perform for the ninth team in his career.