The Minnesota Twins and the MLB have now opened an investigation after Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran said he gave a fan the middle finger on Tuesday after the fan told him to kill himself.
After being thrown out by a ground-ball hit in the fifth inning, Duran made the gesture to a fan on his way back to the dugout. Now, both the league and the Twins are investigating the interaction.
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“We were made aware of the situation late last night and are looking into it,” Twins senior VP of communications and public affairs Dustin Morse said. “There’s no place in our game for conduct like that.”
After the game, Duran told his side of the story.
“Somebody just told me to kill myself. I’m used to it at this point, you know?” he said. “I shouldn’t react like that, but that kind of stuff is still kind of triggering.”
Duran has been open and public about his struggles with mental health and his past suicide attempt.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora didn’t see the interaction, but came to Duran’s defense after the game.
“We have Jarren’s back. Like I said last year, for him to open up, he saved lives,” Cora added. “And it’s not easy. It’s not easy because, like he said, we’re in the business of winning games, and he doesn’t want to be a distraction. And he’s not a distraction. He’s not. He’s just a player that plays for the Red Sox and has our full support.”
James Parker contributed to this story.
