Red Sox pitcher Liam Hendriks says he and his wife have received death threats
"I think I speak for all players who have had to deal with this in their career when I say enough is enough."
Red Sox pitcher Liam Hendriks posted a note on his Instagram story Thursday morning saying that he and his wife have received death threats.
“Just as an FYI: Threats against me and my wife’s life are horrible and cruel,” Hendriks wrote. “You need help. Leaving comments and telling me to commit suicide and how you wish I died from cancer is disgusting and vile.”
“Maybe you should step back and reevaluate your life’s purpose before hiding behind a screen and attacking players and their families. Whether you do it from you fake accounts or are dumb enough to do it from your real account
“I think I speak for all players who have had to deal with this in their career when I say enough is enough.”
The post was made hours before the Red Sox game against the Orioles on Thursday, and a day after the three-time All-Star told the Boston Globe’s Alex Speier that he had become frustrated with his usage and was “no idea” what his role in Boston’s bullpen was.
Hendriks is a relatively new addition to the club. The Red Sox are his seventh MLB team. He signed with them during the offseason before the 2024 season and missed last year while recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Before joining the Red Sox, Hendriks was an All-Star in 2019, 2021, and 2022.
The 36-year-old right-handed relief pitcher has appeared in 11 games this season. His record is 0-1, and he has a 5.56 ERA.
Last month, a fan was ejected from Cleveland’s Progressive Field for heckling Sox outfielder Jarren Duran about his suicide attempt. According to the Globe, a fan near the visitors dugout told Duran that he should have killed himself.
Duran opened up about the attempt in the Netflix documentary: “The Clubhouse: A Year with the Red Sox,” where he said he pulled the trigger of a rifle during the 2022 season and nothing happened.
He said he felt like he had a dark cloud hanging over him at the time as he struggled to deal with criticism from himself and fans.
Earlier this month, Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito told WEEI’s Rob Bradford that he had received threatening messages on his Instagram page.
“My last start obviously went terribly,” he said in a story published on May 11th. “I go through messages on Instagram and stuff telling me to kill myself. I got one that was like, ‘I hope you and your family die’ after the last one. I pitched poorly, so that’s what happens. … It happens every time you pitch bad.”
Hendriks gave up three earned runs in 2/3 innings during his most recent outing on Wednesday, a 5-1 loss against the Mets. Hendriks said he wants to pitch more and that he is confident he can turn things around with more opportunities.
“The more I pitch, the better I get,” Hendriks said. “If the theory is you want the best me, throw me.”
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