Twins' Bailey Ober says he received death threats after rough outing

Twins pitcher Bailey Ober said he received death threats on social media after his poor start in a blowout loss against the Texas Rangers on Thursday afternoon, according to The Athletic's Dan Hayes and Twins.TV sideline reporter Audra Martin.

Ober had a rough outing in Minnesota's 16-3 loss. He surrendered seven earned runs on six hits and six walks before being pulled with two outs in the fourth inning and his team down 7-1. Four of the six hits he allowed were home runs.

But it should go without saying that no athlete or person or any sort deserves to deal with something like death threats. That kind of thing can likely be traced to the increased popularity of online sports gambling, as The Athletic recently covered in a story (subscription required).

"I can't believe I am having to say this, but sending death threats to a player and their family is so completely NOT OK!!!" Martin posted on X/Twitter. "I will never understand the mindset of someone who thinks its ok, especially over something like a bad outing. Do better people, seriously. Bailey Ober works his butt off, gives 110% and is a fantastic person on top of it! To hear him say he was getting threats completely broke my heart. He doesn't deserve it. No one does."

It's been a strange season for Ober, whose ERA increased to 4.40 after Thursday's game. He was tagged for eight runs in St. Louis in his 2025 debut. Then he went 11 starts in April and May without allowing more than three runs in a game, recording a 2.43 ERA during that span. Unfortunately, he's now allowed 12 earned runs in 11.2 innings in his first two starts in June.

Ober also said on Thursday that he's been physically "battling through some stuff" related to his left hip, per MinnPost's Patrick Borzi. He said that's been going on since spring training and think it'll be fine, though he knows he needs to pitch better. Ober, who turns 30 next month, made his 102nd regular season start for the Twins on Thursday.

The Twins' rotation, which had been one of the strengths of their team for much of this season, is now a significant concern. They've lost by at least 11 runs in three of their last seven games. With Pablo Lopez and Zebby Matthews on the IL, the Twins have been hurt by poor recent results from pitchers like Ober and Simeon Woods Richardson.

Sitting at 36-32, the Twins are headed to Houston to face the 37-30 Astros in a three-game series this weekend. Chris Paddack, Joe Ryan, and Woods Richardson are the projected starters for Minnesota.