What Liam Hendriks has overcome, most notably a cancer diagnosis, to get back to Major League Baseball is nothing short of amazing. Yet somehow, even after two rough outings, he announced on Instagram that both he and his wife are receiving death threats.
On Instagram, Hendriks wrote: “Threats against my life and my wife’s life are horrible and cruel. You need help. Leaving comments telling me to commit suicide and how you wish I died from cancer is disgusting and vile. Maybe you should take a step back and reevaluate your life’s purpose before hiding behind a screen attacking players and their families. Whether you do it from your “fake accounts” or are dumb enough to do it from your real account. I think I speak for all players who have had to deal with this in their career when I say: enough is enough.”
Hendriks is one of many athletes who have dealt with this, and it sucks. It should never happen. How it even crosses one’s mind to message a player after a game, let alone messaging them death threats, is beyond me. There’s no place for this. Ever.
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Red Sox reliever Liam Hendriks deserves better from baseball fans
A reminder: baseball players are people too. They have feelings. They are just like us. Yes, I know. They are highly compensated, much more than the average person. But that doesn’t give anyone the right to threaten their lives.
Let’s not forget that Hendriks is one of the most accomplished relievers in recent history. From 2019 to 2022, he posted ERAs between 1.78 and 2.81. He’s made three All-Star teams. He’s pitched in big innings throughout his career and is coming off Tommy John surgery. Even then, he had allowed only two runs in 10 innings before allowing five runs in his last 1.1 innings.
Hendriks will be fine. His history backs that up and should give the Red Sox confidence that he will bounce back.
Now it’s time for the Red Sox fanbase to show that same confidence in Hendriks. Because no athlete deserves the treatment Hendriks has received in the last 24 hours – and it’s surely going to catch the attention of other players who consider coming to Boston in future offseasons.