In 2017, then-Orioles outfielder Adam Jones told reporters that he’d been subjected to racist abuse from fans in the stands at Boston’s Fenway Park.
“A disrespectful fan threw a bag of peanuts at me,” Jones said. “I was called the N-word a handful of times tonight. Thanks. Pretty awesome.”
Jones’s allegation prompted other Black major leaguers to come forward with their experiences of racism in Boston.
Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia said that Fenway was the only ballpark where he’d been called the N-word and that the small fraternity of Black big leaguers know, “When you go to Boston, expect it.