The Boston Red Sox's tight defense from the first week of the season has slowly started to downgrade. Trevor Story may have been the glue holding the defense together, and without him in the lineup, the Red Sox are clearly struggling.
Boston has made multiple errors since Story's season-ending injury and it let up three unearned runs in its home opener against the Orioles on April 9. One of the errors that created the chance for the O's to score a run was committed by Red Sox left fielder Jarren Duran.
In the strange shadows of midday Fenway Park, Duran lost a fly ball in the sun and it dropped to the ground. Baltimore scored on the following hit and Boston's defense only declined from there.
A Red Sox beat reporter tweeted postgame that Duran was taking the error hard. A deeply personal moment in the clubhouse was shared with his social media following, but the folks paying attention did not take it lightly. And in one of those "this is why we love sports" moments, Boston fans flocked to social media to defend Duran.
The outfielder has been open about his struggles with mental health and he's been a champion of advocacy. Duran has stated in interviews that fans dealing with personal struggles can reach out to him to confide their feelings, and that kindness did not go unnoticed. Red Sox Nation has offered its support right back to Duran.
Scenes from the postgame clubhouse: Trevor Story in tears at the thought of missing the year, Jarren Duran punching his locker and pronouncing repeatedly that he (expletive) sucks for dropping the flyball.
— Alex Speier (@alexspeier) April 9, 2024
Red Sox fans take to social media to launch campaign of support for Jarren Duran
Red Sox fans swiftly began a campaign to give Duran a standing ovation during his first at-bat on April 10 against the Orioles. Phillies fans did something similar to break Trea Turner's early-season slump last year — after the standing ovation, Turner took off on a 10-game hit streak.
Let’s show some love and support to one of the hardest workers and best guys not just on the Red Sox but in baseball. This is bigger than baseball. 🫶🏻 https://t.co/DhVycDos98 pic.twitter.com/V9hXLDiHUP
— The Pesky Report (@PeskyReport) April 10, 2024
Sox fans also offered Duran their support over social media. They praised him for his hard work and for everything he's done for the Red Sox since he came to the big leagues. He was the spark to Boston's offense in the leadoff spot last season, and one error will not cause fans to forget that.
Red Sox fans at Fenway Park or on their couches will stand for Duran to show how important he is to the team and how that one mistake will not define him. Boston sports fans aren't known for their kindness, but maybe it's time to flip the script — at least for one night.