Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Báez responded to boos from fans at Comerica Park during Sunday's game by hitting a solo home run in the eighth inning to kick off a four-run rally in a comeback win over the Minnesota Twins.
(Video source: MLB.com)
"I’ve been booed pretty much my whole career," Báez said, according to The Athletic's Cody Stavenhagen. "I know it's frustrating for the fans, but I think that doesn’t really help the team and the organization. I think if we grind together we should stand up together, we should stay together when we're down."
The home run was Báez's first of the campaign. He's been struggling at the plate in the early goings, hitting .140 with a .361 OPS and 30.4% strikeout rate across 46 plate appearances. The 31-year-old is in the third season of a six-year, $140-million contract signed ahead of the 2022 campaign.
"If fans boo, it's fine," Báez said. "They start saying other stuff and cussing at you, it's different. You got family out there and you got kids out there, and that's not what they're here for."
Despite Báez's slow start at the plate, the Tigers are off to a 9-6 start on the season.
