Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran says the fan he flipped off on his way back to the dugout during Boston’s game against the Minnesota Twins made a “triggering” personal comment to him.
“Somebody just told me to kill myself,” Duran, 29, told reporters after the game. “I’m used to it at this point, you know? I mean, s*** happens. I mean, I’m going to flip somebody off if they say something to me, but it is what it is. I shouldn’t react like that, but that kind of stuff is still kind of triggering.”
The incident occurred in the fifth inning of the Red Sox’ loss to the Twins in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Duran has been open about his mental health in the past, detailing a 2022 suicide attempt in Netflix’s 2025 docuseries, The Clubhouse: A Year with the Red Sox.
Duran told MLB.com at the time that his hope was to increase awareness around mental health and encourage those who are suffering to seek help.
“Honestly, it’s my fault for talking about my mental health because I kind of brought in the haters,” Duran said on Tuesday. “So I’ve just got to get used to it.”
He continued, “I didn’t really tell anybody, so that’s on me. Just trying to hold it in, not really bring that up to the team. I mean, we’re trying to win a game. I shouldn’t even bring that up to anybody. It’s not really something where I want to be like, ‘Bro, you should have heard what this guy said to me.’ That’s not the most important thing. The most important thing is winning the game, and it just happens.”
Red Sox manager Alex Cora, who has publicly supported Duran through his mental health journey, said he did not see the obscene gesture when it occurred.
When Duran first came forward with his story, Cora, 50, praised him for his openness.
“We’re very proud of him,” Cora said last April, per MLB.com. “He’s saving lives, that’s what he’s doing. For a guy that wears his emotions on his sleeves, I think we should applaud him.”
Amid the documentary’s release, Duran also shared how he continues to cope with mental health challenges.
“I’ve definitely reached out a lot more than I used to, and that’s a big thing for me,” he said. “And even when I tell myself, ‘I’m not going to bother someone with this,’ l go back to like stuff that I journaled before that told me like, ‘Hey, if you ever get into this headspace again, make sure you reach out.’ So I just kind of remind myself that it’s important to reach out and just knowing that other people are doing that, because I talk about it, it’s really heartwarming. And I hope that I can help spread the love that people need to support each other.”
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.
