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New Details Emerge Regarding Threats Toward $85 Million Astros All-Star

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Zach Kaplan | Last updated May 30, 2025 6:43 PM ET

In an age where gambling and online conjecture have taken centerstage in the world of professional sports, it's not surprising that players have discussed an uptick in threats and abuse from fans.

Strained relationships between players and the fans is nothing new, but has become a corollary of today's betting society.

2018 Most Valuable Player Christian Yelich told the AP that online abuse has gotten "worse in recent years," even saying it's a nightly occurrence for players.

“You get a lot of DMs or stuff like that about you ruining someone’s bet or something ridiculous like that,” veteran Red Sox reliever Justin Wilson said. “I guess they should make better bets.”

Two players have been hit particularly hard by this uptick: Red Sox reliever Liam Hendriks and Astros starter Lance McCullers Jr.

McCullers only made it through 1/3 innings in his start May 10th versus the Reds; his seven earned runs in that span ballooned his ERA to 15.75.

Shortly after the game, McCullers reported he and his family received threats from fans, which was a rude awakening for his wife, Kara and five-year-old daughter, Ava.

“She asked me when I came home: ‘Daddy like what is threats? Who wants to hurt us? Who wants to hurt me?’” McCullers said. “So, those conversations are tough to deal with.”

Liam Hendriks, who survived a battle with Stage 4 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2023, received threats after a tough outing for the Red Sox in May, and had to speak out about it online.

The AP reported Friday that McCullers reached out to the Astros about what could be done to protect him and his family after the threats, and that owner Jim Crane hired 24-hour security for the starter's family.

No player should ever receive threats and need to hire 24-hour security after a tough start where they were simply not themselves or outplayed by their opponent, yet here we are.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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