The threats came after Cleveland's 10–5 loss to the Rays, when Wittgren gave up five runs in the ninth inning.
Cleveland pitcher Nick Wittgren, and his wife Ashley, took to social media on Saturday to share that they, along with their children, have received death threats.
The threats and disturbing messages that were received online stem from the pitcher's rough Friday night outing against the Rays. Wittgren, 30, took the mound in the ninth inning with the scored tied at four.
By the time the game was over, the Rays won 10–5. He gave up five runs, three hits and one homer in his limited time on the mound.
Wittgren's wife then shared her disappointment online that her family was being threatened for the performance.
"Ya'll I get it, my husband had a bad day at work," she said in a Tweet. "But sending both of us very explicit death threats aimed at him, me and our children is absolutely inexcusable."
"I don't know what the worst part is — that this isn't the first time, that this won't be the last time, or that other families ALSO receiving these regularly.
Wittgren shared screenshots of some disturbing messages he got while echoing his wife's sentiment that it's common for players to receive this type of hate.
"Sadly, this is considered 'normal' in professional sports,' he said in a Tweet. "Its happened to 90% of players I know and basically after every bad outing a player has. But there is nothing normal about threatening someone and their family's lives."
More MLB Coverage: