struck out

Curt Schilling’s Red Sox teammates are thrilled the homophobic hurler won’t be attending World Series reunion

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Curt Schilling wearing a Donald Trump shirt

The Red Sox don’t break their infamous championship drought without Curt Schilling. The right-hander hurler delivered in every big moment that October, including a pivotal matchup against the vaunted New York Yankees, when he pitched through a serious ankle injury with a bloody sock.

A World Series hero, Schilling was revered in Boston. For the longest time, his legendary performances in the clutch outweighed any issues fans may have had with his right-wing politics.

But then, Schilling became further removed from his playing career, and increasingly hateful. He got fired from a cushy gig as ESPN’s lead MLB analyst in 2016, when he shared a transphobic Facebook post supporting North Carolina’s anti-trans “bathroom bill.”

The post showed a burly man in ripped women’s clothing with the following caption: “Let him in to the restroom with your daughter or else you’re a narrow minded, judgmental, unloving, racist bigot who needs to die!”

The three-time World Series champ added his own commentary as well.

“A man is a man no matter what they call themselves. I don’t care what they are, who they sleep with, men’s room was designed for the penis, women’s not so much. Now you need laws telling us differently? Pathetic,” he wrote.

Intelligent stuff, right? Schilling, for his part, said he found the outrage “hilarious.”

ESPN did not, however. The network fired Schilling a few days later.

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Schilling’s descent into madness only continued from there. In recent years, he’s backed the January 6 insurrection, supported QAnon, applauded a shirt that “jokes” about lynching journalists and called those offended by homophobic slurs “snowflakes.”

Whenever one thinks Schilling can’t stoop any lower, he falls further into the gutter. But now, he’s at rock bottom. The Red Sox are celebrating the 2004 championship team Tuesday at their home opener, and Schilling won’t be there.

Whomp, whomp.

And his teammates are thrilled! Schilling’s latest odious act seemingly turned off his peers for good.

“I think it’s best case scenario for everybody,” said Derek Lowe, who won all three clinching games during the ’04 run.

Schilling’s offending act wasn’t political. Instead, it was personal. Red Sox legend Tim Wakefield, a staple of the ’04 team, passed away from brain cancer last October. Working as a Red Sox TV analyst in Boston, the iconic knuckleballer didn’t publicly disclose his diagnosis.

Schilling did it for him… and against his wishes. (Schilling also revealed that Wakefield’s wife, Stacy, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Stacy passed earlier this year.)

The uproar was immediate.

“We are aware of the statements and inquiries about the health of Tim and Stacy Wakefield. Unfortunately, this information has been shared publicly without their permission,” the Red Sox said in a statement, with consent from the Wakefield family.

“Their health is a deeply personal matter they intended to keep private as they navigate treatment and work to tackle this disease. Tim and Stacy are appreciative of the support and love that has been extended to them and respectfully ask for privacy at this time.”

Wakefield died a few days later. Schilling shared the news of Wakefield’s diagnosis without permission on the Curt Schilling Show, his latest floundering media foray.

The Red Sox have grappled with Schilling for years. They’re strong supporters of the LGBTQ+ community, and host a longstanding Pride Night.

The Red Sox didn’t invite Schilling to a previous ’04 reunion, though they claimed the diss wasn’t “out of spite.”

They did, however, invite Schilling to Tuesday’s proceedings. He declined, which Lowe says was the right choice.

“Bullsh*t, what he did. I knew a lot. Golfed with (Wakefield), knew the whole story,” he said. “And understanding what they wanted out as a family, and you do that? It’s just bullsh*t.”

Keep in mind, the 2004 Red Sox are a baseball team probably comprised of many right-wingers. Star centerfielder Johnny Damon, for example, is a vocal Trump backer (he claimed his 2021 DUI arrest was retribution for his Trump support).

But Schilling’s repugnant comments go beyond politics. People of all political persuasions can see through his anti-LGBTQ+ bigotry and disregard for others.

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