CLEVELAND (Neth.) – Cleveland Indians first baseman Yu Chang shared some of the racist messages he received on Twitter after a costly error in Monday’s game in Chicago.
Chang, who is Taiwanese, posted some of the anti-Asian messages on his Twitter account on Tuesday, calling for tolerance. One of the messages referred to the shape of his eyes and another to the coronavirus.
“Use your freedom of speech properly, I accept all comments, positive or negative, but DEFINITELY NOT RACIST,” Chang wrote. “Thank you all and I love you all.”
He added the hashtag #StopAsianHate.
Shortly after posting, Chang received a large number of positive reactions and support from Indian fans and others across all social media.
The 25-year old, who appeared as an infielder in the Cleveland-organization, will defend the starting team for the first time. The Indians acquired him as a freelancer in 2013.
With a 3-3 tie in the ninth and the Chicago White Sox threatening two runners on base, Chang dominated a field and tried to get the out in second place, but hit the helmet of Chicago’s Yasmani Grandal.
The ball was diverted to the leftfield streak, enabling pinch-running Nick Madrigal to score the winning run.
The racist messages to Chang contribute to an unpleasant trend of abusive behavior towards the Asian community. Former NBA star Jeremy Lin has openly referred to racist behavior and sports organizations have offered their support.