The Boston Red Sox suspended Jarren Duran for two games on Monday without pay after he used a homophobic slur against a fan who was heckling him during a loss to the Houston Astros the day before.
The incident was picked up by a live microphone during the broadcast when Duran, who was 0 for 2 with two strikeouts at the time, was at bat in the sixth inning. A fan at Fenway Park was heard shouting “Tennis racket! Tennis racket! You need a tennis racket!”
Duran turned toward the fan and said: “Shut up,” followed by a curse word and a slur. Duran apologized through the team on Sunday night, saying he “used a truly horrific word” and felt “awful.”
Before answering questions on Monday, Duran began by apologizing to fans who had reached out to him, saying: “they were disappointed in me.”
“I’m sorry for my actions, and I’m going to work on being better,” said the 27-year-old outfielder.
Teammate Rob Refsnyder, who hit a walk-off single in Boston’s 5-4, 10-inning win over Texas on Monday night, said, “We all love Jarren. He’ll learn from this. We’re all human. We all make mistakes, but he’ll learn from this.”
President and Chief Executive Officer Sam Kennedy said the team had contacted Major League Baseball after the game.
“It’s a really difficult day, disappointing,” Kennedy said outside the clubhouse. “I’m proud of the way the organization addressed the situation, and I’m proud of Jarren for acknowledging his horrific mistake.”
Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow, standing next to Kennedy, said the team still had work to do.
“I think it is striking evidence that while we have made strides and done great work, we haven’t done nearly enough,” he said. “I think that an incident like this is an important reminder that there’s a ton of progress that still needs to be made.”
Duran said the fan had been “heckling me the entire game, and I said something I shouldn’t have said.”
Duran mentioned that he quickly turned and apologized to home plate umpire Jordan Baker and Houston catcher Yainer Diaz “for my actions. They were right there, they heard me say it. I’m assuming they cut the mic because of my inappropriate word.”
Red Sox manager Alex Cora said: “There’s a lot of work to be done, and I’m here to help him out.” Cora noted that he had talked to Duran earlier in the day.
“He made a big mistake, he’s living with it, right,” Cora said. “As a manager, I’ve got to do my job. As a person, there’s more from my end. … It’s what I can do as a person to support him and help him to be better.”
Duran had played in every game for the team this season, mostly as a leadoff hitter, and is one of the top players, batting .291 with 14 home runs and 58 RBIs.
He was the MVP of the All-Star game in Texas, making him the fifth Red Sox player to win the award. He said there was no intent behind the word, and it was just “the heat of the moment.”
“I think what’s more important is what happens going forward,” Kennedy said. “We’ve worked really hard the past two and a half decades to make sure that Fenway Park is a place where everyone is welcome.”
Boston announced that Duran’s salary during the suspension will be donated to PFLAG (Federation of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays). Duran earns $760,000 and will forfeit $8,172.
