Back in 2021, we praised the Cleveland Guardians for its ace communications surrounding its name change from the Indians. The baseball team is earning kudos again for its response to an ugly incident in which Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran was heckled by a fan.

On Sunday, April 27, the Red Sox were playing the Guardians in Cleveland. After Duran (pictured) flied out, a fan sitting near his team’s dugout told him he “should have killed himself when he had the chance,” according to TMZ, citing Red Sox analyst Will Middlebrooks. Other media outlets such as ESPN quoted Duran himself saying only that the fan said “something inappropriate.” Teammates, coaches and umps restrained Duran as he yelled into the stands. The fan tried to flee but was caught by security and ejected.

The fan’s low-class remark was in response to Duran’s admission in a Netflix documentary, The Clubhouse: A Year With the Red Sox, released April 8, that he struggled with depression and had attempted suicide three years ago.

After the game, the Guardians released its statement: “We are aware of the situation that took place during today’s game between a fan and one of the Red Sox players that violated our fan-conduct policy. We recognize the gravity of the behavior at issue here and take very seriously conduct of this nature. We apologize to the Red Sox organization, the player involved, fans in the area and are addressing the situation.”

Taking Action

That’s a good statement because the Guardians apologized for behavior it wasn’t even responsible for and because it showed the team taking action. The organization went on to say that it had identified the fan and would work with Major League Baseball “regarding next steps.” (Odd, though, that Duran isn’t named in the statement.)

Duran seems to draw hecklers. Last season, he was suspended for two games after he directed an anti-gay slur at a fan who ridiculed him while he was at bat. We commended Duran’s straightforward apology. As for this most-recent incident, Boston manager Alex Cora lauded Duran’s restraint (such as it was). “We made a mistake last year, and we learned from it,” Cora said. “We grew up, you know, as an individual and as a group.”

Duran also seems to have learned from that past experience (despite having to be held back). “The fan just said something inappropriate,” he said. “I’m just happy that the security handled it and the umpires were aware of it and they took care of it for me.”

Photo Credit: Boston Red Sox

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