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Boston, MA. – Boston Red Sox pitcher Liam Hendriks spoke out this Thursday on his social media to denounce death threats and offensive messages directed towards him and his family, following the team's loss to the New York Mets.
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In a post on his Instagram account, the veteran reliever expressed his outrage at the comments, some of which included wishes that he would die of cancer and exhortations to suicide. Hendriks, 36, overcame non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in the past and has been an admired figure for his courage on and off the field.
“Just as a warning: the threats against my life and my wife's life are horrible and cruel. You need help,” wrote the player. “Telling me to commit suicide or wishing I die of cancer is disgusting and vile.”
The incident occurred after his participation in Wednesday's game, in which he entered as a reliever in the sixth inning. Although he managed to close that episode, he allowed three consecutive hits at the start of the seventh, including a controversial single by Venezuelan Luisangel Acuña that was initially called out, but which after the replay showed that he safely reached first base.
“It doesn't matter if they do it from fake or real accounts,” Hendriks continued in his post. “Maybe they should re-evaluate the purpose of their lives before hiding behind a screen to attack players and their families. Enough is enough.”
This episode occurs less than a month after outfielder Jarren Durán, also of the Red Sox, revealed he had received inappropriate comments from a fan during a game in Cleveland, just days after the premiere of a Netflix documentary where he shared his struggle with mental health and a previous suicide attempt.
The Red Sox organization has not yet issued an official statement, but Hendriks' message has generated a wave of support from both teammates and fans.
