BOSTON Red Sox star Jarren Duran has apologized after shouting a homophobic slur at a fan.
The outfielder was involved in an exchange of words with a spectator during yesterday’s 10-2 loss to the Houston Astros.
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A fan was heard yelling that Duran needed “a tennis racket” while at the plate.
Duran told the person to shut up and added an offensive term, which was captured by NESN microphones.
“During tonight’s game, I used a truly horrible word when responding to a fan,” Duran, 27, said in a statement.
“I feel terrible knowing how many people I have offended and disappointed.
“I apologize to the entire Red Sox organization, but most importantly, to the entire LGBTQ community.
“Our young fans should be able to look up to me as a role model, but tonight I fell far short of that responsibility.
“I will take this opportunity to educate myself and my teammates and to grow as a person.”
The Red Sox did not indicate whether Duran was facing disciplinary action.
“The Red Sox addressed this incident with Jarren immediately following today’s game,” the team said.
“We repeat Jarren’s apology to our fans, especially the LGBTQ community.
“We strive to be an organization that welcomes all fans to Fenway Park and will continue to educate our staff, players, coaches and staff on the importance of inclusion.”
MLB has not made any statement regarding the incident.
The Duran matchup came in the bottom of the sixth, with the Astros leading 10-0.
He was 0-2 that day and crashed an electric fan into the dugout early in the game.
2024 MLB All-Star Starters
American League
C: Adley Rutschman (Baltimore Orioles)
1B: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
2B: Marcus Semien (Texas Rangers)
3B: José Ramírez (Cleveland Guardians)
SS: Gunnar Henderson (Baltimore Orioles)
FROM: Aaron Judge (New York Yankees)
OF: Steven Kwan (Cleveland Guardians)
OF: Juan Soto (New York Yankees)
DH: Yordan Alvarez (Houston Astros)
National League
C: William Contreras (Milwaukee Brewers)
1B: Bryce Harper (Philadelphia Phillies)
2B: Ketel Marte (Arizona Diamondbacks)
3B: Alec Bohm (Philadelphia Phillies)
SS: Trea Turner (Philadelphia Phillies)
OF: Jurickson Profar (San Diego Padres)
OF: Teoscar Hernández (Los Angeles Dodgers)
FROM: Christian Yelich (Milwaukee Brewers)
DH: Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Dodgers)
Duran was honored as the recipient of the Red Sox’s Heart and Hustle Award in a pregame ceremony.
Recognizes a player who “demonstrates passion for the game and best embodies its values, spirit and traditions.”
Elsewhere on Sunday, a Chicago baseball fan suffered an embarrassing fall from grace after injuring himself so badly he had to be carried away by stadium officials.
The event took place during the ninth inning of the matchup between the Cubs and White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field on Saturday night.
According to the observation sports journalist Josh Frydman, the fan “tried to jump the left center wall, appeared to injure his foot and is now being attended to by security!”
Frydman added later: “Waiting outside the Cubs clubhouse, the injured fan was being carried away with a cast/brace on his leg. As he passed us, he yelled, ‘TMZ, baby!” Lol.”
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
