Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran has been suspended for two games without pay by Major League Baseball after he uttered an anti-gay slur at a fan during the team’s 10-2 loss Sunday to the Houston Astros. ESPN’s Jeff Passan tweeted “Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran has been suspended for two games after he uttered an anti-gay slur at a fan during Sunday’s game. His suspension will begin effective immediately and he’ll miss tonight’s game on ESPN against the Texas Rangers.”
Duran’s suspension began with Monday’s game against the Texas Rangers. The Red Sox also announced that Duran’s salary from the suspension will be donated to PFLAG (formerly called Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays), sharing in a statement: “Duran’s salary from the two-game suspension will be donated to PFLAG (Federation of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays), the United States’ largest organization dedicated to supporting, educating and advocating for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people and those who love them.”
Duran’s slur could be heard on the NESN broadcast and quickly circulated online. In the sixth inning of Boston’s game Sunday at Fenway Park, a fan was heckling the All-Star while he was at bat, saying he needed a tennis racket to hit the ball. Duran turned around and said to a heckler: “Shut up, you f—ing f—-t.” Following Sunday’s game, the Red Sox issued a statement in which Duran apologized for his actions: “During tonight’s game, I used a truly horrific word when responding to a fan. I feel awful knowing how many people I offended and disappointed. I apologize to the entire Red Sox organization, but more importantly to the entire LGBTQ community. Our young fans are supposed to be able to look up to me as a role model, but tonight I fell far short of that responsibility. I will use this opportunity to educate myself and my teammates and to grow as a person.”
The team said at the time that the matter was addressed with Duran and also issued an apology to the Red Sox fans and LGBTQ community: “The Red Sox addressed this incident with Jarren immediately following today’s game. We echo Jarren’s apology to our fans, especially to the LGBTQ community. We strive to be an organization that welcomes all fans to Fenway Park, and we will continue to educate our employees, players, coaches and staff on the importance of inclusivity.”
The suspension is consistent with MLB’s past discipline for the use of anti-gay slurs. Oakland Athletics outfielder Matt Joyce was suspended for two games in 2017 for directing an anti-gay slur at a fan; and that same season, then-Toronto outfielder Kevin Pillar was banned two games after uttering a similar homophobic slur used by Duran at Atlanta reliever Jason Motte, who Pillar believed had struck him out on a quick pitch.
Duran, who turns 28 in September, is batting .291 with an .853 OPS, 14 home runs, 58 RBI and 29 stolen bases. His 36 doubles lead the American League, and he leads the majors with 13 triples. The four-year veteran was named to his first AL All-Star team this year and won All-Star Game MVP honors by hitting a home run in the Midsummer Classic.
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