"Tough on myself and my family" - Mariners' Mitch Garver reflects on emotional strain after 'death threats' in his 'worst' season
Baseball is tough, and it becomes even tougher when the outside noise is continuously putting you down; Seattle Mariners' Mitch Garver is going through the same after the designated hitter's lackluster offensive displays this season.
The Mariners' walk-off loss against the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday highlighted Garver's shortcomings as the offseason acquisition failed to help his team with runners in scoring position on four instances.
Following the game, Garver mentioned the abuse and death threats he has taken from fans due to his underwhelming performances. He said (via Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times):
"It's probably the hardest I've ever had to grind. This is by far the worst I've ever played in my career. Tough on myself and my family with the death threats, the 'retire' and 'you s**k' and 'f**king kill yourself' and all that shit.
"It's getting old. The only way I change it is if I play better, but it's like continuing right now. So the worse, I play more here. And rightfully so. I'm not playing well."
The Mariners acquired Mitch Garver in the offseason to amplify their much-maligned offense. However, the $24-million acquisition has proved to be a bust, as Garver holds the worst batting average (.168), among the 145 qualified players in the MLB this season.
Mitch Garver not ready to quit despite struggles
While the Mariners in general were guilty of leaving the runners stranded in scoring position, going 1-14 in the three-game series, Mitch Garver became the highlight after Wednesday's game.
Mitch Garver, who entered the frame with the bases loaded in the 10th inning, could only manage a grounder to the shortstop on his first pitch. The Red Sox clinched the game moments later after Rafael Devers' walk-off double off the wall.
However, the former World Series winner has never known quitting and is willing to grind it out despite the criticism.
"I've never quit anything. Certainly, not going to quit this. They're gonna have to rip the jersey off my back. That's fine. That's an easy way out. I could happily retire right now, go home and live a great life with my family.
"That's not what I do. I made a two-year commitment to this team. They believe in me, my teammates believe in me. So it's a matter of just making it click and when it does good things will happen."
Although the Mariners had claimed the series after consecutive wins, Wednesday's loss saw division rivals Houston Astros, who came from behind to win against the Pirates, rise to the top of the AL West.