Baseball is supposed to be a game. Sure, a competitive, cutthroat, emotional, and something heart- and gut-wrenching game. But still, it is just a game. And this is something that enthusiastic baseball fans seem to forget. This is what happened last month when Boston Red Sox fans crossed the line with their reliever Liam Hendriks.

Last month, Hendriks, in a game against the New York Mets, gave up three runs in the seventh inning. It was a tough outing for the 36-year-old veteran, and he was only working his way back after missing the entire 2024 season due to his Tommy John surgery. However, the backlash that followed had nothing to do with the game; it was simply cruel and, honestly, inhumane.

Hendriks, in fact, took to Instagram to reveal what had happened. He and his wife had gotten death threats and messages, and others wishing he had died from cancer. Could you imagine? The same cancer he braved through just a year back. But keyboard warriors have lost, because not only is Liam Hendriks not bothered about it anymore, but he is also raising awareness about the subject.

Liam Hendriks said, “Removing that mental stigma from cancer, chemo, and radiation has been a godsend to anyone I have spoken to. You want to talk about the side effects because that positive attitude, that positive mindset, can really be a huge boon. …There is nothing else I can do; let’s just push forward, and every oncologist, every doctor, and every nurse tells you to stay active…. I was throwing bullpens mid-treatment because it was Jan-Feb-March-April. Initially it was really tough.”

Liam Hendriks was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma back in 2022. Then he was with the Chicago White Sox; after that, he went through chemotherapy and through all that resilience to make it back on the mound. Not just being cancer-free but strong enough to even win the MLB’s Comeback Player of the Year award.

For sure, his story is like a ray of light to several others who have battled and who are battling the disease, most of whom are even scared to say so. This is also what makes the wave of fan abuse so appalling. Because any player can have a slump, a bad stretch, and things not working out—and every player knows that as a fact. But when the so-called fans threaten their family, their wife—someone who has been there with them through thick and thin—no one is going to sit back and take it in.

Does the Boston Red Sox office have Liam Hendriks back?

One day after the incident with Liam Hendriks happened, the Boston Red Sox front office came in his support. Alex Cora stood firm on Hendriks’ side, saying he understood the importance of defending players when online hate crossed the line. “We’re in the public eye, and people feel they have the right to say whatever they want,” Cora mentioned. “Sometimes, it comes from real people. Other times, it comes from burner accounts… it puts everyone in a tough spot. We have to protect our players, and we have to voice what we think.”

Cora even drew parallels to his own experiences. He recalled the social media backlash he had gotten after missing a game very early on in the season to attend his daughter’s graduation. Hence, he knows how the fans’ reaction can spiral. But while Cora has done nothing but support, a few weeks back, there was a little drama between him and Hendriks, too.

The Boston Red Sox skipper had suggested that Liam Hendriks, who has been sidelined since May with a hip injury, was most likely done for the season, only to have the 36-year-old be confused by those comments. Hendriks told the reporters, “That was surprising. That kind of shook me a little bit. That was frustrating, because I’m like, ‘Have they not told me everything that’s going on? Am I out of the loop?’ Because everything I’ve spoken about with our guys has been, like, ‘We’re pushing to get you back this year.’”

Hendriks later clarified that he and Cora did talk it through and that it was just a slip of the tongue.