CLEVELAND – Cleveland Indians first baseman Yu Chang shared some racist messages on Twitter that he received after his costly mistake in Monday’s game in Chicago.
Chang, who is Taiwanese, posted some of the anti-Asian messages on his Twitter account on Tuesday and shouted for tolerance. One of the messages referred to the shape of the eyes and another to the coronavirus.
“Exercise your freedom of speech in the right way, I accept all comments, positive or negative, but, DEFINITELY, I DO NOT RACE,” Chang wrote. “Thank you all and I love you all.”
He included the hashtag #StopAsianHate.
Shortly after posting his message, Chang received a lot of positive responses and support from Indian fans and others on all social networks.
The 25-year-old, who appeared as an infielder in the Cleveland organization, defends the starting team for the first time. The Indians bought him as a free agent in 2013.
With the game tied 3-3 in the ninth and the Chicago White Sox threatening two runners on base, Chang dominated a field and tried to get out in second, but hit the Yasmani Grandal helmet in Chicago.
The ball is redirected into the left field, allowing Nick Madrigal to score the winning run.
Racist messages directed at Chang add to an ugly trend of abusive behavior towards the Asian community. Former NBA star Jeremy Lin openly referred to racist behavior, and sports organizations offered their support.