Cleveland's Nick Wittgren Says He and His Family Got Death Threats After Loss to Rays

Cleveland pitcher Nick Wittgren and his wife received death threats after the reliever gave up five runs in an appearance Friday against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Wittgren sent out screenshots of the threatening messages (NSFW warning) he received on Instagram.

"Y’all I get it, my husband had a bad day at work. But sending both of us very explicit death threats aimed at him, me, and our children is absolutely inexcusable," Ashley Wittgren tweeted. "I don’t know what the worst part about it is—that this isn’t the first time, that this won’t be the last time, or that other families in sports ALSO receive these regularly."

Nick Wittgren gave up five runs in 0.1 innings during Friday's 10-5 loss to the Rays. The game was tied when Wittgren entered, and the loss dropped Cleveland to 48-47 on the season.

Wittgren released another statement Monday on Twitter, thanking fans for their support after he revealed the hateful messages.