TBNL: Bad fan behavior, KBO All-Star voting, D.R. baseball stadiums

A wave of bad behavior is sweeping through fan bases, certainly at a higher frequency than pro athletes (and their families) are used to seeing. Much of the blame has been placed on the legalization of sports betting (and the leagues and broadcast partners who have climbed into bed with the industry), which has only opened the door for more people to grow upset with the results of a game more frequently.

Astros right-hander Lance McCullers reportedly received death threats earlier this season. Now, on Tuesday, Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte was left in tears on the field after being heckled by a fan at Chicago’s Rate Field with comments about Marte’s mother, who had been killed in a 2017 car accident in the Dominican Republic.

D-backs manager Torey Lovullo needed to console Marte on the field during a pitching change the next inning. He also requested that White Sox security remove the fan, which they promptly did.

The league announced on Wednesday that the fan had been permanently banned from all MLB stadiums.

Red Sox right-hander Garrett Whitlock’s wife, Jordan, took to social media shortly after the incident. Whitlock wanted to both show support for Marte and also highlight some of the awful, threatening messages that she and Garrett have received.

This kind of stuff is surely happening in other sports, too.

These players and their families deserve better.

Elsewhere, around the sport …

• The NCAA coaching carousel has started seeing movement. Pitching-powerhouse Wake Forest is losing one of its key figures, as pitching coach Corey Muscara has been hired to be the new head coach at Duke University. He’s being replaced by former Astros minor league pitching coordinator Eric Niesen, who pitched for the Demon Deacons from 2005-07.

• Fan voting has closed for the KBO All-Star Game (July 12), with Hanwha Eagles closer Seo-hyeon Kim leading all players. The 21-year-old right-hander received a record 1,786,837 votes.

• Yakult Swallows third baseman Munetaki Murakami has only played in one game this season, thanks to injuries, and may consider remaining in Japan for another season to rebuild his value. The 25-year-old was expected to be posted this offseason so he could pursue coming to MLB.

• Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader announced the formation of a special committee to explore the construction of a new baseball stadium and complex in the nation’s capital. As Dominican news outlet Diario Libre reports, the goal is to convert the existing Juan Marichal Quisqueya Stadium into an entire complex that would meet MLB standards. The hope is that the D.R. will be able to host a future World Baseball Classic.

• Bobby Witt Jr. has committed to play in the WBC for Team USA alongside Aaron Judge and Paul Skenes.

• Ronald Acuńa Jr. will participate in next month’s Home Run Derby, which will be held at Atlanta’s Truist Park.

More words

The Wander Franco saga has finally come to an end after two years.