Red Sox Jarren Duran jersey sales explode after suspension for insulting heckler — becomes bestseller on MLB shop
Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran saw a surge in his jersey sales on the MLB merchandise website despite serving a suspension for responding to a heckler with vulgar language.
Duran was suspended for two games on August 12, 2024, after he responded to a heckler in the sixth inning during a 10-2 blowout loss to the Houston Astros.
“Tennis racket, tennis racket, you need a tennis racket!” the fan can be heard yelling.
Duran then turned to the crowd and was heard saying, “Shut up, you f***ing faggot!”
Despite an apology from Duran and an outpour of dramatic statements from team officials, the All Star was still suspended for the pair of games with his pay ($8,172) being donated to a pro-transgender organization.
During his absence, fans reportedly supported Duran with a flood of social media remarks while many others supported him with their wallets by buying his jersey.
According to Fox News, Duran’s jersey became the top seller on the MLB’s official online store on Wednesday.
Japanese star Shohei Ohtani jerseys reportedly took the next three spots.
At the time of this writing, Duran’s jersey is nowhere to be seen on the page. However, a customizable Red Sox jersey with which customers can select Duran’s name (or any Red Sox player) is No. 6 on the bestseller list. Ohtani still has the top three spots.
Duran conspiracies
Other rumors swirled about Duran during his return regarding standing ovations and record-breaking sales.
One video in particular alleged to show a standing ovation for Duran upon his return to the batter’s box, however, the video was spliced together with different sets of audio and video.
“Two of [the videos] were from August 13, 2023 for Detroit Tigers legend Miguel Cabrera’s final game at Fenway Park,” a community note on X said.
At the same time, a reporter for the Boston Herald said that Duran received “a louder than usual cheer when his name was introduced in the pregame lineups,” along with “another hand” as he stepped up to the plate in his return.
‘I’m glad they didn’t fine me. They just gave me a warning.’
Other claims that Duran’s jersey sales broke a single-day record for the MLB Shop appear to be uncorroborated and do not seem to have an official source.
Several outlets cited a post on X from a user named Simon Charles, however, no citation appeared to exist.
There were also suggestions that Duran responded to his suspension by wearing a shirt that says “f*ck ’em.”
Particularly Dan Shaughnessy, sports columnist for the Boston Globe, said that “after getting suspended for 2 games for aiming homophobic slur at Fenway fan, Jarren Duran chose to wear this shirt in his pregame presser today.”
Duran did indeed wear the shirt, however, a quick search revealed that Duran has been wearing shirts branded with the same phrase for some time, with the MLB even warning him about a possible fine in early July 2024.
“I’m glad they didn’t fine me. They just gave me a warning,” Duran said at the time.
The phrase, along with “I’m still here” and “still alive,” are references to Duran’s struggle with mental health, which he has openly expressed in the past.
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