Seattle Mariners left-handed reliever Tayler Saucedo received death threats over social media following his rough outing against the host Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday.
Saucedo entered the game in the seventh inning with the Mariners facing a one-run deficit. He struggled mightily, allowing five runs on four hits in one-third of an inning in an eventual 11-2 loss.
Afterward, Saucedo said he was taken aback by one of the messages he received on social media — and he posted it on X, formerly Twitter.
“I hope your (expletive) head gets blown off to pieces walking in Philly you autistic ugly piece of (expletive),” read the post from an Instagram profile labeled “Gilbert’s GoonSquad.”
“Your (expletive) wife/gf dying would be awesome as well.”
Saucedo, 32, provided his response on social media.
“I understand wanting me gone after today and this year as a whole,” Saucedo wrote. “Nobody is more disappointed with how this year has gone for me than myself. Trust me i want to win just as much as all of you whether im here or not. But messaging me this (expletive) and my girlfriend and sending this stuff is beyond baseball. It’s insane how comfortable people are sending this stuff to not only me but my partner. Tell me I suck all you want that’s fine but at some point we gotta get a grip.”
Saucedo has followed up a 5-2 record with a 3.54 ERA over his previous two seasons with an 11.05 ERA in seven relief appearances this year.
Former Mariners star Mike Cameron responded to the post telling Saucedo to turn off his notifications. Saucedo, however, said he keeps them “partially open because I like interacting with fans. Today was an example of going too far.”
Saucedo isn’t the only pitcher to receive death threats following a game this season.
Houston Astros right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. and Boston Red Sox right-hander Liam Hendriks said they each received threatening messages over social media following rough outings in May.
–Field Level Media
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