Former Mets pitcher and Long Island native Marcus Stroman's falling out with Mets fans took a sinister turn on Wednesday, when has suggested his hometown fans had directed death threats, racial slurs and racist insults at him -- and that the front office "didn't care about any of that."
The 30-year-old right-hander, who signed with the Chicago Cubs in free agency earlier this offseason, made the claim amid fierce criticism from Mets fans over a since-deleted Tuesday tweet.
The eight-year veteran, who broke in with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2014, became the target of backlash on Wednesday after his Tuesday afternoon tweet suggesting he was "beyond grateful" to have left the Mets, in part because of "the lack of awareness" of recently hired general manager Billy Eppler.
The since-deleted tweet prompted angry responses from much of Mets Twitter. Stroman then quote-tweeted a fan who rallied to his defense and who suggested fans had unleashed bigotry toward the pitcher.
"Endless death threats, being called a ni---r often, hearing black lives don't matter, and playing for a front office who didn't care about any of that," Stroman said. "I will speak on this topic on my time and on my podcast at some point. Still dealt on the mound through all of that!"
Stroman has called out bigoted behavior in the past. Last season he slammed Diamondbacks analyst Bob Brenly for the "racist undertones" of mocking Stroman for wearing a do-rag under his Mets cap while on the mound. Brenly later apologized and was said to have taken up sensitivity training over the episode.
Later, Stroman posted screen caps of racist threats of violence that he received via direct message from a purported US Department of Defense employee.
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Stroman signed a three-year, $71 million deal with Chicago shortly before MLB's lockout began in December. He had expressed interest in returning to the Mets but seemed to suggest the interest wasn't mutual. He also indicated he wasn't interested in pitching for the Yankees during a candid exchange with fans on social media.
Claims of racial abuse from Black ballplayers, who make up roughly 8% of Major Leaguers, aren't new.
In 2020, former All-Star outfielder Torii Hunter detailed several incidents of racism he encountered during his long Major League career, including at Fenway Park in Boston, as well as in Kansas City, Seattle, and Philadelphia. The 19-year-veteran, who last played with the Twins in 2015, said he often included the Red Sox on his no-trade list to avoid playing in Boston.
The Red Sox responded by saying they believed Hunter's account. They cited seven reported incidents from the 2019 season targeting Black players or stadium employees, and said the number of unreported incidents was likely much higher.
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