BOSTON (AP) — Red Sox pitcher Liam Hendriks took to social media Thursday to express his displeasure about death threats he says he received following Boston's most recent loss the the New York Mets.
In a post on Instagram, Hendriks said comments were directed at both him and his family.
“Just as an FYI: Threats against me and my wife’s life are horrible and cruel. You need help," Hendriks wrote in the post. "Leaving comments and telling me to commit suicide and how you wish I died from cancer is disgusting and vile.”
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org.
Hendriks, a 36-year-old reliever who previously battled non-Hodgkin lymphoma, has appeared in 11 games this season. He’s 0-1 with a 5.56 ERA.
Hendriks relieved starter Garrett Crochet with one out in the sixth inning of Boston’s 5-1 loss to the New York Mets on Wednesday. He finished the inning but gave up three straight singles to start the seventh, including an infield hit by Luisangel Acuña that was initially ruled an out before replays showed he beat the throw to first.
“Maybe you should step back and reevaluate your life’s purpose before hiding behind a screen and attacking players and their families,” Hendriks added in his post. “Whether you do it from your fake accounts or are dumb enough to do it from your real account.
“I think I speak for all players who have had to deal with this in their career when I say enough is enough.”
The incident comes less than a month after Red Sox All-Star left fielder Jarren Duran said a fan near the dugout in Cleveland said “something inappropriate” to him after he flied out during a 13-3 victory over the Guardians.
That came days after the debut of a Netflix documentary that included Duran opening up about his mental health and discussing a past suicide attempt.
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Omer Shem Tov, front right, a former Israeli hostage who survived over 500 days in Hamas captivity, gets a pat on the chest by Boston Red Sox pitcher Liam Hendriks, front left, after delivering a ceremonial first pitch prior to a baseball game between the Red Sox and the New York Mets at Fenway Park, Monday, May 19, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s government accused the United States of attacking civilian and military installations in multiple states after at least seven explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard around 2 a.m. local time Saturday in the capital, Caracas.
The Pentagon and White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Smoke could be seen rising from the hangar of a military base in Caracas. Another military installation in the capital was without power.
People in various neighborhoods rushed to the streets. Some could be seen in the distance from various areas of Caracas.
“The whole ground shook. This is horrible. We heard explosions and planes,” said Carmen Hidalgo, a 21-year-old office worker, her voice trembling. She was walking briskly with two relatives, returning from a birthday party. “We felt like the air was hitting us.”
Venezuela’s government, in the statement, called on its supporters to take to the streets.
“People to the streets!” the statement said. “The Bolivarian Government calls on all social and political forces in the country to activate mobilization plans and repudiate this imperialist attack.”
The statement added that President Nicolás Maduro had “ordered all national defense plans to be implemented” and declared “a state of external disturbance.”
This comes as the U.S. military has been targeting, in recent days, alleged drug-smuggling boats. On Friday, Venezuela said it was open to negotiating an agreement with the U.S. to combat drug trafficking.
Maduro also said in a pretaped interview aired Thursday that the U.S. wants to force a government change in Venezuela and gain access to its vast oil reserves through the monthslong pressure campaign that began with a massive military deployment to the Caribbean Sea in August.
Maduro has been charged with narco-terrorism in the U.S. The CIA was behind a drone strike last week at a docking area believed to have been used by Venezuelan drug cartels in what was the first known direct operation on Venezuelan soil since the U.S. began strikes on boats in September.
U.S. President Donald Trump for months had threatened that he could soon order strikes on targets on Venezuelan land. The U.S. has also seized sanctioned oil tankers off the coast of Venezuela, and Trump ordered a blockade of others in a move that seemed designed to put a tighter chokehold on the South American country’s economy.
The U.S. military has been attacking boats in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean since early September. As of Friday, the number of known boat strikes is 35 and the number of people killed is at least 115, according to numbers announced by the Trump administration.
They followed a major buildup of American forces in the waters off South America, including the arrival in November of the nation’s most advanced aircraft carrier, which added thousands more troops to what was already the largest military presence in the region in generations.
Trump has justified the boat strikes as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the U.S. and asserted that the U.S. is engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels.
Meanwhile, Iranian state television reported on the explosions in Caracas on Saturday, showing images of the Venezuelan capital. Iran has been close to Venezuela for years, in part due to their shared enmity of the U.S.
Pedestrians walk past the Miraflores presidential palace after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
Residents evacuate a building near the Miraflores presidential palace after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
Smoke raises at La Carlota airport after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Pedestrians run after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Smoke raises at La Carlota airport after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Smoke raises at La Carlota airport after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Pedestrians run after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
