Despite facing backlash over the weekend for using a homophobic slur, support for Jarren Duran was astronomical.
The Boston Red Sox outfielder was caught shouting a homophobic slur at a booing fan during Sunday’s game against the Houston Astros.
Duran made the comment as he stepped to the plate in the sixth inning. A fan yelled at him that he needed a tennis racket. The player yelled back, “Shut up,” followed by the insult.
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Jarren Duran of the Red Sox circles second base against the Seattle Mariners at Fenway Park in Boston on July 31, 2024. (Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
Duran apologized but still served a two-game suspension – his game checks for Monday and Tuesday will be donated to PFLAG, a nonprofit organization that supports the LGBTQ+ community.
The 27-year-old has made waves this year, earning his first All-Star honor, making Duran jerseys a popular choice at Fenway Park.
However, expect to see a lot more of it everywhere soon – Duran’s jersey is the best-selling jersey in the online MLB store at the time of publication.
Shohei Ohtani’s jerseys take up the next three spots and five of the next eight – the custom Dodgers jersey takes fifth place, while the custom Padres jerseys take seventh and eighth places.
Jarren Duran of the Red Sox reacts after hitting a triple against the Texas Rangers at Fenway Park in Boston on July 4, 2023. (Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
GEORGE SPRINGER OF THE BLUE JAYS YELLS AT THE REFEREE AFTER THE COMMITMENT AND HAS TO BE RESTRAINED
This is a fairly common phenomenon in sports – Philadelphia Flyers’ Ivan Provorov’s jersey sales skyrocketed after he refused to wear Pride-themed merchandise during warmups, citing his religion. Harrison Butker also saw jersey sales soar after his speech at Benedictine College.
“During today’s game, I used a truly horrible word in response to a fan,” Duran said in a statement. “I feel terrible thinking about how many people I offended and disappointed. I apologize to the entire Red Sox organization, but more importantly, to the entire LGBTQ community. Our young fans should be able to look up to me as a role model, but tonight I fell far short of that responsibility.”
Jarren Duran of the Red Sox prepares to pitch against the Royals on August 5, 2024 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. (Ed Zurga/Getty Images)
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Duran leads the majors with 13 triples and his 36 doubles are tops in the American League. He has a .291 batting average and an .853 OPS. He will return from suspension on Wednesday against the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers.
Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
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