What the fan said was relatively harmless.
On Sunday afternoon, a frustrated individual at Fenway Park hollered in the direction of Red Sox center fielder Jarren Duran, who was in the middle of an at-bat against the Houston Astros.
“Tennis racket. Tennis racket. You need a tennis racket.”
Nothing particularly pointed or offensive. Nothing about the player’s family. Just a typical, run-of-the-mill chirp.
Duran’s reaction was disproportionately volatile. He turned back toward the stands as he dug into the box, looked toward the fan in question and hurled an anti-gay slur in the heckler’s direction.