Yu Chang, an infielder of the Cleveland Indians, shared on Twitter that he received racist messages on social media following his decisive pitching error in Monday’s loss to Cleveland against the White Sox.
Chang tweeted Tuesday morning: “Exercise your freedom of speech correctly, I accept all comments, positive or negative, but DEFINITELY NOT THE RACIES. Thank you all and everyone. #StopAsianHate”.
Chang’s tweet included a screenshot of anti-Asian racist messages from social media that he allegedly received from three different users. Two of the accounts no longer existed as of Tuesday morning and the third is private.
Cleveland lost 4-3 Monday night when Chang hit Chicago’s Yasmani Grandal with a throw as he tried to force him to second base in the ninth inning, allowing Nick Madrigal to score the winning run.
Chang, who was playing at first base, threw Nick Williams off the ground and tried to get Grandal in second place instead of stepping on first base for the second out. His shot hit Grandal in the helmet and the ball bounced to the left side of the field as Madrigal ran home.
Chang, 25, is a native of Taiwan who has played parts of three seasons with the Indians. He has played primarily on the short field and at third base throughout his career and had never played first base before this season.
According to a recent report by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, hate crimes against Asian Americans have risen nearly 150% in major U.S. cities over the past year.
The #StopAsianHate movement gained national attention last month after a white man killed eight people, including six of Asian descent, in a series of shootings at spas in the Atlanta area.