Jarren Duran Heckling Incident Explained: What Guardians Fan Said To Red Sox Star

An ugly scene to end the Cleveland series

Apr 27, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Jarren Duran (16) hits a single during the second inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox's game with the Cleveland Guardians was essentially over on the scoreboard, but before the bottom of the seventh inning, things got heated out of nowhere,

Red Sox star outfielder Jarren Duran had to be restrained by coaches, teammates, and umpires after getting into a shouting match with a fan in the outfield seats. Duran eventually took his position in left field, and even doubled home a run in the top of the ninth to provide the final score of 13-3.

According to Red Sox color analyst Will Middlebrooks, who was in the NESN broadcast booth, the fan made light of Duran's attempted suicide to elicit the angry reaction.

"Absolutely unacceptable behavior from the fan. Told him he should have killed himself when he had the chance. Disgusting," Middlebrooks said on X (formerly Twitter) in reply to a video clip of the incident.

Duran recently revealed his attempted suicide in 2022 on Netflix's "The Clubhouse," a docuseries about the 2024 Red Sox.

After the game, Duran gave a brief response to questions about the incident.

“The fan said something inappropriate, and I’m just happy that the security handled it and the umpires were aware of it, and they took care of it before me," Duran said, per Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald.

It's not Duran's first public dust-up with a fan; he was suspended two games last August for directing a homophobic slur at a heckler during a matchup with the Houston Astros at Fenway Park. However, in that instance, the fan only told Duran that he "needed a tennis racket." This fan behavior was a bridge too far.

Duran's fingerprints were all over the Guardians series. He hit a triple and stole home plate on the next pitch on Saturday, and he went 4-for-6 with an RBI on Sunday.

But the heckling incident had the potential to turn ugly, and the perpetrator should absolutely face discipline from the Guardians and Major League Baseball.

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