Red Sox’s Jarren Duran heckled by Guardians fan, team identifies individual who ‘crossed the line’

The Cleveland Guardians have identified a fan who “crossed the line” while taunting Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran during Sunday afternoon’s game at Progressive Field, the team announced. The fan left the stadium immediately after the incident, but the Guardians are aware of the person’s identity, according to Cleveland.com.

“We are aware of the situation that took place during today’s game between a fan and one of the Red Sox players that violated our fan conduct policy,” The Guardians said in a statement. “We recognize the gravity of the behavior at issue here and take very seriously conduct of this nature. We apologize to the Red Sox organization, the player involved, fans in the area and are addressing the situation. We have identified the fan in question and will work with MLB regarding next steps. We strive to provide the best experience to visiting players and fans, and that fell short today.”

Duran had to be restrained by umpires and Red Sox coaches while yelling into the stands in the seventh inning. Red Sox broadcaster and CBS Sports HQ contributor Will Middlebrooks says the fan made a reference to Duran’s 2022 suicide attempt, which he revealed during the Netflix documentary series “The Clubhouse: A Year With the Red Sox.”

“The fan just 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 for me,” Duran said after the game (via the Boston Globe).

Duran, 28, is in his fifth MLB season with the Red Sox. He was named MVP of last summer’s All-Star Game. The Red Sox went on to win Sunday’s game (BOS 13, CLE 3) thanks to Duran’s four hits, and improved to 16-14 on the season. The Guardians are 15-12.