Josh Hader Booed By Giants Fans in First Road Appearance Since Twitter Controversy
Josh Hader received a standing ovation from Brewers fans when he returned to the mound last week in his first appearance at home after racist and homophobic from 2011 and 2012 resurfaced during the All-Star Game.
But in his first road appearance, the reception for the 24-year-old pitcher was different: Giants fans booed the pitcher when he debuted in the sixth inning Thursday night in San Francisco.
The boos started as he left the bullpen and grew louder as his name was called when he came in with two outs in the inning.
“Like I said before, I can’t control what they’re going to say to me. I’ve made mistakes in my earlier years,” Hader said after the Brewers' 7–5 win. “I’ve just got to go out and focus on what I’ve got to do and that’s to get outs and help this team win. I can’t let my mistakes distract me from my job going now. Obviously I don’t like what I said back then and I obviously regret what came out, but we live and we learn as human beings. We’re not perfect. It’s how you learn from what you do and just become a better person from it.”
Following the All-Star game, Hader apologized and said the tweets do not reflect his current views. He then apologized to his teammates before the first game back from the All-Star break.
As punishment, MLB announced that the commissioner's office would require Hader to participate in diversity and inclusion initiatives in addition to sensitivity training.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
