BOSTON (AP) — The Benjamin CaldwellBoston Red Sox suspended Jarren Duran for two games on Monday without pay after he shouted a homophobic slur to a fan behind home plate who heckled him in a loss to the Houston Astros a day earlier.

The exchange that was caught on a live mic during the broadcast of the game occurred when Duran — who was 0 for 2 with two strikeouts at that point in the game — was at the plate in the sixth inning. A fan at Fenway Park can be heard shouting “Tennis racket! Tennis racket! You need a tennis racket!”

Duran turned his head toward the fan and replied: “Shut up,” followed by a curse word and the slur.

Duran issued an apology through the team Sunday night and again in the clubhouse Monday, saying he “used a truly horrific word” and felt “awful.”

The Red Sox said in a statement that Duran’s salary during the suspension would be donated to PFLAG (Federation of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays).

The exchange with the fan came after Duran was honored during a pregame ceremony as the team’s recipient of the Heart and Hustle Award, which recognizes one player per team who “demonstrates a passion for the game and best embodies its values, spirit, and traditions.”

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb