Red Sox Apologize After Orioles’ Adam Jones Is Hit With Racial Slurs, Peanuts At Fenway Park

by Pablo MenaMay 2, 2017, 1:20 pmDaily Digest, News, Z-Home Slider >

The Boston Red Sox formally apologized Tuesday morning after Baltimore Orioles outfielder Adam Jones stated he was treated to racist behavior and had objects tossed at him by fans at Fenway Park in Monday night’s game.

Red Sox Issue Apology After Orioles’ Adam Jones Receives Racial Taunts

“The Red Sox want to publicly apologize to Adam Jones and the entire Orioles organization for what occurred at Fenway Park Monday night,” the team said in a statement. “No player should have an object thrown at him on the playing field, nor be subjected to any kind of racism at Fenway Park. The Red Sox have zero tolerance for such inexcusable behavior, and our entire organization and our fans are sickened by the conduct of an ignorant few. Such conduct should be reported immediately to Red Sox security, and any spectator behaving in this manner forfeits his/her right to remain in the ballpark, and may be subject to further action. Our review of last night’s events is ongoing.”

Jones, who is African-American, told the Boston Globe and USA TODAY Sports he was called the ‘N-word’ and several other racial epithets and that a “disrespectful fan” threw a bag of peanuts at him toward the end of the game, which the Orioles won 5-2.

Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter!

A week of sports news in your in-box.
We find the sports news you need to know, so you don't have to.

“It’s different,’’ the outfielder also told USA TODAY. “Very unfortunate. I heard there was 59 or 60 ejections tonight in the ballpark. It is what it is, right. I just go out and play baseball. It’s unfortunate that people need to resort to those type of epithets to degrade another human being. I’m trying to make a living for myself and for my family.”

Jones added this is not the first time he has been subjected to racist taunts in Boston, or even the first time one of his teammates has dealt with similar harassment from fans. The Orioles’ South Korean left fielder Hyun Soo Kim was attacked with racial slurs and was almost hit with a beer can in an American League Wild Card game in Toronto last October.

Several elected officials in Massachusetts, including Governor Charlie Baker and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, also publicly condemned the Red Sox fans’ actions.

“This is unacceptable and not who we are as a city,” Walsh said in a statement. “These words and actions have no place in Fenway, Boston, or anywhere. We are better than this.”

Red Sox officials confirmed that the fan who hurled the peanuts at Jones was ejected, although the team didn’t have a complete accounting of how many other fans were removed, according to a report.

However, Boston police spokesperson Rachel McGuire told USA TODAY Sports that no arrests had been made at Fenway Park following Monday’s game.

“The rules of the ballpark are more strict than the laws of the commonwealth,” McGuire said. “Just because somebody is yelling racial epithets at a player or using other offensive language, that may not rise to the level of probable cause for an arrest.”

McGuire said she had no information regarding Boston police’s investigation into who tossed the bag of peanuts at Jones.

Jones, meanwhile, called for harsher punishments for the fans who verbally and physically attacked him. The outfielder suggested placing hefty fines on fans who display this type of behavior rather than simply ejecting them.

“It’s pathetic,’’ the outfielder said. “It’s called a coward. What they need to do is that instead of kicking them out of the stadium, they need to fine them 10 grand, 20 grand, 30 grand. Something that really hurts somebody. Make them pay in full. And if they don’t, take it out of their check.

“That’s how you hurt somebody. You suspend them from the stadium, what does that mean? It’s a slap on the wrist. That guy needs to be confronted, and he needs to pay for what he’s done.”

There has already been tension between the Red Sox and Orioles this season. On April 21 at Camden Yards, Baltimore third baseman Manny Machado — who scored a solo homer and drove in two runs on Monday — spiked Boston’s Dustin Pedroia while sliding. Two days afterwards, Red Sox pitcher Matt Barnes was ejected for throwing a fastball at Machado’s head in retaliation.

Machado was booed repeatedly at Fenway on Monday. The Orioles and Red Sox meet again in Boston on Tuesday at 7:10 pm EST for the second of a four-game series. Chris Sale (1-2, 1.19 ERA) will start for the home team, while right-hander Alec Asher (1-0, 2.16 ERA) will make his second start of the season for Baltimore.

OSTON, MA – MAY 01: Jonathan Schoop #6 high fives Adam Jones #10 of the Baltmore Orioles after scoring in the fifth inning of a game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on May 1, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)