MLB Families Face Rising Online Threats from Angry Bettors, Associated Press Reports

A Growing Crisis

Major League Baseball players and their families are under siege from a wave of online threats, many tied to angry bettors, the Associated Press reported.

Milwaukee’s Christian Yelich called online abuse “a nightly thing” for most players, per provided data. Houston’s Lance McCullers Jr. and Boston’s Liam Hendriks are among those whose families faced death threats, sparking calls for action.

Lance McCullers Jr.’s family received death threats after a poor outing, with his five-year-old daughter Ava asking, “Daddy, what is threats? Who wants to hurt us? Who wants to hurt me?”

McCullers told the Associated Press, “Those conversations are tough to deal with,” calling it the worst moment of his career.

Liam Hendriks, a cancer survivor, faced death threats and vile comments wishing his illness would return, prompting him to say, “Enough is enough.” Detroit’s Riley Greene ditched Instagram, fed up with bettors blaming him for lost wagers.

Betting’s Role

Players link the abuse surge to legal sports betting. Bettors lash out online when props like home runs or over/unders flop.

The Associated Press noted that players like Yelich face daily harassment, with some bettors crossing “moral lines” into threats.

The toll on players’ mental health is brutal. McCullers, a father of two, hired 24/7 security, funded by Astros owner Jim Roberts, and admitted to pulling back from fans.

Hendriks said the abuse makes families feel “unsafe,” per provided data. The Astros offer mental health support, but the emotional scars linger.

The Astros and Red Sox are working with MLB security and local police to track down threat-makers, with ongoing Houston PD investigations. Uniformed officers patrol family sections at Astros games, a pre-existing measure.

Both teams use cyber programs to identify and ban abusive accounts. Red Sox’s Abby Murphy said they’ve bolstered family safety protocols.