Red Sox pitcher Liam Hendriks addressed the backlash and threats he encountered on social media following Boston’s defeat to the New York Mets on Wednesday. Fans held Hendriks accountable for the 5-1 loss after he took over from Garrett Crochet in the sixth inning. Despite successfully striking out two batters with the game tied at 1-1 to end the sixth, Hendriks allowed three consecutive hits in the seventh without securing an out, allowing the Mets to extend their lead.
On Thursday, Hendriks vented his frustration on Instagram about the “appalling” reactions from fans. “Just a heads up: Threats against my life and my wife’s life are horrific and heartless,” Hendriks expressed in an Instagram story. “You need assistance. Posting comments urging me to commit suicide and wishing I’d die of cancer is revolting and despicable.”
He added, “Perhaps you should pause and reconsider your life’s purpose before hiding behind a screen to attack players and their families, whether from ‘fake accounts’ or if you’re foolish enough to use your real one. I believe I speak for every player who has faced this in their career when I declare: Enough is enough.”
The seasoned 14-year veteran referenced his potential absence in 2024 while recuperating from Tommy John surgery following his battle with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which sidelined him for much of the 2023 season.
Hendriks isn’t the only MLB player recently subjected to threatening messages from fans. Earlier this month, Astros pitcher Lance McCullers spoke out about fans threatening his children after a challenging game against the Cincinnati Reds. Houston authorities have initiated an investigation into these threats. McCullers shared similar sentiments: “It’s been a difficult night. I understand that people are very passionate and love the Astros and sports, but threatening to locate my children and kill them is quite hard to handle.”
“As a father, I’ve faced numerous threats over the years, primarily aimed at me, and I believe some individuals from other baseball-related incidents have even been jailed for such actions. But involving children in the equation, threatening to find them or saying the next time they see us in public, they’ll stab my kids to death, is tough to swallow as a dad.”
Hendriks joined the Red Sox this year after playing for Minnesota, Toronto, Kansas City, Oakland, and Chicago with the White Sox. Since arriving in Boston, the 36-year-old has faced difficulties, pitching 11.1 innings with a 5.56 ERA across 11 outings for the Red Sox. Boston currently ranks third in the American League East with a 25-26 record.
