BOSTON – Red Sox manager Alex Cora expressed his support for reliever Liam Hendriks, a day after the latter denounced offensive messages directed towards him and his family via social media.
Cora spoke on Friday before the first game of a doubleheader against Baltimore at Fenway Park.
We are in the public eye, and people feel they have the right to say whatever they want. Sometimes, it comes from real people. Other times, it comes from fake accounts, fake people. It puts everyone in a difficult situation.
Alex Cora
On Thursday, Hendriks expressed his displeasure at the death threats he says he received after Boston’s recent loss to the New York Mets.
On his personal Instagram account, Hendriks wrote: “The threats against my life and that of my wife are horrible and cruel. I think I speak for all the players who have had to deal with this in their careers when I say that enough is enough.”
Hendriks is in his second season with the Red Sox and has a 0-1 record with a 5.56 ERA in 11 games. In 2023, he underwent treatment for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Last year, after signing with Boston as a free agent, he missed the entire season due to an elbow injury sustained during spring training.
I understand what you are trying to achieve. We have to protect our players and we have to express what we think.
Alex Cora
Although not at the same level as what Hendriks faced, Cora found herself in the middle of a social media storm on Monday after attending her daughter’s graduation from Boston College and missing that night’s home game against the Mets.
If it were up to me, I would bring my daughter here and review every account and filter it.
Alex Cora
Cora has more than 78,000 followers on the social media platform X. From time to time, she posts a short message. Her most recent post was in tribute to her daughter’s graduation from university: #perfectday accompanied by a graduation emoji.
Cora noted that he contacted Major League Baseball’s security division after being suspended in 2020 for his role in the Houston Astros’ 2017 cheating scandal.
I put my family in a difficult situation, especially when the news came out. It was dangerous and we were scared, to be honest. I don’t want to go into details, but they did an incredible job.
Alex Cora
In an era where sports betting comes into play, Cora pointed out the “dangerous path” that arises when fans seek to vent their frustrations on players through social media.
One decision, one pitch, one play, puts them in a bad situation and they take it personally. That’s not my fault. You have to be responsible for what you’re doing.
Alex Cora
