The MLB world was shocked when Houston Astros’ pitcher Lance McCullers received death threats online following a start he’d made against the Cincinnati Reds on May 10.
McCullers was making his second start after a 2.5-year absence from Major League Baseball, recovering from major arm surgery, and did not perform well. He gave up seven runs in the first inning. The Astros ultimately lost that game, 13-9.
McCullers claimed that he received the messages after the game, threatening to ‘find [his] kids and murder them.’
‘I understand people are very passionate and people love the Astros and love sports, but threatening to find my kids and murder them is a little bit tough to deal with,’ McCullers told reporters. The Astros granted McCullers and his family 24-hour security, and finally, the man behind the threats has been discovered.
The spokesperson did add that the man has since relayed an apology to McCullers and his family. Charges are still being considered and the case remains open.
Noticeable uptick in death threats to MLB players
‘I think over the last few years it’s definitely increased,’ Milwaukee’s Christian Yelich said, via ESPN, in reference to the threats he’s received. ‘It’s increased to the point that you’re just, ‘All right, here we go.’ It doesn’t even really register on your radar anymore. I don’t know if that’s a good or a bad thing. You’re just so used to that on a day-to-day, night-to-night basis. It’s not just me. It’s everybody in here, based on performance.’
Just last month, Boston Red Sox reliever Liam Hendriks revealed that he’d also received such threats. ‘Threats against my life and my wife’s life are horrible and cruel,’ said Hendriks. ‘Comments telling me to commit suicide and how you wish I died from cancer is disgusting and vile. Maybe you should take a step back and re-evaluate your life’s purpose before hiding behind a screen attacking players and their families.’
Sports betting’s impact on threats
In an interview with ESPN, head of integrity services and athlete well-being for MLB partner Sportradar, said that while the popularization of sports betting has certainly played a factor, these messages have been coming to athletes since long before gambling became so widespread.
‘It is broader than just sports betting,’ Brown claims. ‘Yes, sports betting is a factor, but we see it in all forms, whether racism, transphobia, doping, geopolitical, misogyny. The abuse is insane.’
Sports gambling is currently legal in 38 states in the U.S., with 30 states enabling gambling from a person’s mobile phone. Keep in mind though, the person who sent the threats to McCullers was located overseas.