Yankees: Torii Hunter’s Comments About Racism Among Red Sox Fans Are Jarring

Former Twins, Tigers and Angels star Torii Hunter revealed being the subject of racial taunts by Red Sox fans.

Think New York Yankees fans need another reason to hate the Boston Red Sox? Well here ya go, folks!

Amid the current racial tensions in the United States following the horrific death of George Floyd and the protests that have ensued, high-profile figures in the sports world have come forward to provide perspective and share experiences in which they were marginalized, abused and/or discriminated against because of their color.

Former MLB star Torii Hunter, who played 19 seasons with the Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Angels and Detroit Tigers, revealed a string of disturbing incidents similar to those that we’ve also heard about from fellow black baseball players in Adam Jones and CC Sabathia — he was racially abused by Boston Red Sox fans when visiting Fenway Park.

In fact, it was so bad that he made sure he always had a no-trade clause to Boston in every one of his big league contracts.

“I’ve been called the N-word in Boston 100 times, and I said something about it. ‘Oh, he’s just a militant, he’s lying, this didn’t happen.’ No, it happened! All the time! From little kids! And grown-ups right next to them didn’t say anything,” Hunter said on Golic and Wingo Thursday morning.

The most sickening part of all this is that Hunter refused to speak up about it in fear of the potential backlash he’d face from those who didn’t believe him or felt he was just being a “militant black man.”

Don’t think that happens? Well, it did when Jones recounted the horrible treatment when visiting Boston.

Hunter’s revelation of this couldn’t come at a better time for people in America to realize the continued struggles African Americans face even though it may not be on-the-surface obvious for many to see each and every day. This is a five-time All-Star, nine-time Gold Glove winner and two-time Silver Slugger.

If a man of that stature isn’t immune to this type of abuse, then that speaks volumes in terms of what many African American athletes are trying to tell us during this current climate.