BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Red Sox suspended Jarren Duran for two games on Monday without pay after he shouted a homophobic slur to a fan behind home plate who heckled him in a loss to the Houston Astros a day earlier.
The exchange that was caught on a live mic during the broadcast of the game occurred when Duran — who was 0 for 2 with two strikeouts at that point in the game — was at the plate in the sixth inning. A fan at Fenway Park can be heard shouting “Tennis racket! Tennis racket! You need a tennis racket!”
Duran turned his head toward the fan and replied: “Shut up,” followed by a curse word and the slur.
Duran issued an apology through the team Sunday night, saying he “used a truly horrific word” and felt “awful.”
Standing in the middle of the clubhouse before he answered questions Monday, Duran started by apologizing to fans that he said reached out to him and said: “they were disappointed in me.”
“I’m…