The Boston Red Sox' 10-2 loss to the Houston Astros was the least of their concerns on Sunday.
During his sixth-inning at-bat in the series finale at Fenway Park, Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran was caught on a hot mic directing a homophobic slur at a heckling fan. After the fan shouted "Tennis racket! Tennis racket! You need a tennis racket!" Duran replied "Shut up," followed by an expletive and the slur.
The Red Sox disciplined Duran on Monday, announcing the 27-year-old has been issued an unpaid two-game suspension for the incident. His salary for those two games will be donated to PFLAG (Federation of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays).
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Shortly after Duran's suspension was announced, Red Sox CEO Sam Kennedy and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow addressed the controversy.
"It's a really difficult day," Kennedy told reporters. "Disappointing, unacceptable event yesterday. But proud of the way the organization immediately addressed it, and proud of Jarren for acknowledging his horrific mistake and being accountable, but tough day."
Breslow echoed Kennedy's sentiments.
"I think it is striking evidence that while we may have made strides and done great work, we haven't done nearly enough," Breslow said. "I think an incident like this is an important reminder that there's still a ton of progress that needs to be made, and at the same time, I think we can acknowledge that Jarren has shown himself to be immediately accountable and is striving to do better. ...
"It's disappointing and frustrating," he added. "I think at the same time, we see that Jarren as a leader that he may be is also flawed, and we all are, and people make mistakes. What matters is what happens now and the consequential steps that Jarren takes toward repairing his relationship not just with teammates in the organization, but with the LGBTQ community and all who have been impacted."
Duran apologized after Sunday's game and spoke to the media about the incident on Monday.
"I just wanted to kind of say that I've had some fans reach out to me and tell me that they're disappointed in me," he said. "And I just wanted to let them know that I'm sorry for my actions and that I'm gonna work on being better for them."
Duran's two-game suspension will begin Monday when the Red Sox start a crucial three-game series vs. the Texas Rangers at Fenway. The 2024 MLB All-Star Game MVP has played in all 116 of Boston's games to this point.