Baseball has its own way of making us smile and sad. However, we often fail to acknowledge the tough phases the players through. That’s exactly what happened on Sunday during the game between the Red Sox and the Guardians when a fan said something very disrespectful to Jarren Duran. 

The Red Sox’s $3.85 million star, Jarren Duran, has always been a calm, composed and well-spoken person. Ever since he confessed about his mental health problems, the entire baseball world has been heaping praise on him for opening up about his struggles. However, a fan overstepped, literally pointing out that Duran should have ended his life, blurring the lines between support and interference. Duran previously opened up about his mental health problems, that even pushed him to think about ending his life.

As expected, it was too much for Jarren Duran to tolerate, that too, after going through so much in his life. In the 13-3 win over the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field, Duran was ready to start with the bottom of the seventh inning when he heard a fan shouting at him, using some words that shook him. 

Shedding light on the disgusting taunt by the fan, Duran expressed his disappointment, saying, “The fan just said something inappropriate. I’m just happy that the security handled it and the umpires were aware of it and they took care of it for me.” Even Red Sox’s manager, Alex Cora, who has always supported Duran through his highs and lows, recalled an incident from the past that still lurked like a shadow behind them.

In a 10-2 loss against the Houston Astros last season, Jarren Duran responded to a jeering fan using a homophobic slur that was audible during the live broadcast on NESN. He was even suspended for two games after using such words. Alex Cora feels that it was a mistake and they do not want to replicate the same mistake again. “We made a mistake last year, and we learnt from it. We grew up as individuals and as a group. But there are limits, too. And I think security, they did a good job. I think the fan, whatever he said or what was going on, security felt like it crossed the line and they kicked him out,” Cora said, hinting at the past incident that had some similarity with the present incident.

However, all’s well that ends well. Duran is happy with the support he has been getting from the teammates, coaches and the fans. With him looking fit and fine, Alex Cora has also heaped praise on the 28-year-old outfielder.

Alex Cora heaped praise for their $3.85M star amid recent controversy

While we all expect that Jarren Duran moves on, forgetting about his past—it’s also the duty of the fans to be a bit responsible towards approaching the players. A bit of praise is what they all expect from their fans. Just like that, manager Alex Cora has also praised Jarren Duran. Stressing his impeccable play during the game against the Cleveland Guardians, Cora said, “In this environment, you know, with the new roles, he is the perfect player. He’s all over the ballpark, he is fast, and he’s an exciting player.”

Jarren Duran went 4-for-6 with an RBI in the 13-3 victory against the Guardians. Duran literally ran like a tracer bullet, and his speed peaked at 25 feet per second. More importantly, his steal of home happened as he reached the third base. The Boston found that Doug Nikhazy of the Guardians pitched it out of the windup and the bases were loaded at that moment, and it was expected that Nikhazy was going to pitch like that again.

As Nikhazy didn’t notice Duran at third base, Duran managed to pull himself up halfway until breaking into a sprint. Not only did he reach the plate faster than the pitch getting to the plate, but also managed to dodge Bo Naylor and finally got the steal. This soon got all the fans and the players in the dugout on their feet as Boston gained a 6-0 lead.

Do you think fans need to be extra cautious while making any statement on the players, especially after knowing that they might have passed through such mental struggles before?