Red Sox’s Jarren Duran Confronts Fan Over Inappropriate Remark in Cleveland

CLEVELAND — Jarren Duran of the Boston Red Sox faced a troubling moment during a game against the Cleveland Guardians on Sunday when a fan made an inappropriate comment related to his past suicide attempt.

After flying out in the seventh inning, Duran, 27, was allegedly taunted by a fan sitting near the Red Sox dugout who shouted, “You should have killed yourself when you had the chance.” Duran reacted by glaring at the fan while he remained on the dugout step.

Red Sox teammates and coaches quickly moved to keep Duran away from the area as umpires and Progressive Field security intervened. The fan attempted to flee the scene but was apprehended and ejected from the stadium shortly thereafter. Duran expressed gratitude for the swift response from stadium officials, stating, “I’m just happy that the security handled it and the umpires were aware of it and they took care of it for me.”

After the game, the Guardians issued a statement apologizing to Duran and the entire Red Sox organization. The statement acknowledged the inappropriateness of the fan’s behavior and confirmed that the team was identifying the fan to discuss further action with Major League Baseball.

Duran remarked that this incident was the first time he had been publicly heckled about his struggles since the Netflix series “The Clubhouse: A Year With the Red Sox” premiered on April 8. He said, “When you open yourself up like that, you also open yourself up to the enemies. But I have a good support staff around me, teammates, coaches. There were fans that were supporting me, so that was awesome.”

Red Sox manager Alex Cora praised the team’s security staff for their handling of the situation and commended Duran for remaining composed. He noted the importance of learning from past mistakes, referencing Duran’s previous suspension for an incident during last season where he used a homophobic slur.

Despite the incident, Duran had an impressive game, completing 4-for-6 at the plate with an RBI, contributing to the Red Sox’s 13-3 victory over the Guardians. Duran’s performance marked a significant turnaround as he had recorded three hits in consecutive games for only the second time in his career.

During the weekend series, Duran’s success continued as he hit .467 with three RBIs in a total of 15 at-bats, demonstrating his improvement against left-handed pitchers. He expressed optimism about continuing his performance, stating, “I’ve been getting some good swings on lefties lately.”

The Red Sox will have a day off before facing the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday.