After Tanner Scott’s Dodgers gave up runs in the eighth against the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday night, his wife, Maddie Scott, reposted social media messages that included death threats involving their newborn son. The post comes amid a broader spike in
Saturday night started like baseball always does: a climactic inning, a save on the line, and a moment that would swing a game.
For Tanner Scott, it swung the other way. The Dodgers reliever gave up three runs in the eighth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies, blowing a save opportunity and taking his first loss of the season.
The baseball part of the story ended there for most fans. But it didn’t end for Maddie Scott.
Afterward. she reposted vile comments from one user on social media. messages that threatened not only her and her husband. but also their newborn son. In an Instagram story that has since expired but was captured by the New York Post. she wrote: “When did it stop being a game?. I don’t speak out often. Ever actually. I promise you, you don’t know what it’s like unless you’re living it.”.
Scott’s wife didn’t just describe anger. She pointed to something darker—the idea that a loss on a scoreboard can follow a family home.
The timing fits a pattern that many sports families know all too well: the threats don’t have to be tied to any single play. They can be generated in an instant, launched from anonymous accounts, then amplified by the speed of social media.
Tanner Scott’s life in baseball has been filled with pressure for years. His contract with the Dodgers was a four-year, $72 million deal signed before the 2025 season, raising expectations. And in the background. the legal and cultural shift around sports betting has expanded the audience—and the intensity—with which people talk about games. A Supreme Court ruling that led to sports gambling becoming legal helped reshape how strongly fans, and bettors, can react.
The threats have not been isolated to Scott.
Liam Hendriks of the Boston Red Sox, Lance McCullers Jr. of the Houston Astros, Tayler Saucedo of the Seattle Mariners and Cam Schlittler of the New York Yankees are among those who have endured online attacks in the past year.
This week’s incident lands with particular cruelty because it centers a newborn.
Scott’s season, though, is not the story people are trying to punish him for. After a difficult stretch last year in his first season with the Dodgers—when he was expected to become the team’s closer—Scott took heat for MLB-high 10 blown saves and for not pitching in the postseason.
This year has looked different. Even after Saturday’s loss, he has a 2.19 earned-run average and five saves.
The sequence is what makes it impossible to miss: one bad outing on the mound. then a wave of messages that move far beyond baseball—toward threats aimed at a spouse and their child. And each time that happens, the “it’s just a game” argument runs into the same hard reality. For some families, the aftermath isn’t rhetorical. It’s personal.
Tanner Scott Maddie Scott Dodgers Phillies death threats newborn son social media attacks online harassment MLB
Dang, people are wild.
I didn’t even know it was that serious. Like it’s literally a baseball game, why are people talking about a baby?? Also blaming sports betting?? feels like everyone’s always looking for a reason.
Wait so the wife reposted death threats but like… isn’t that kinda making it worse? Idk, I’m not saying it’s ok, but sharing it even though it expired sounds like adding fuel. And the article is kinda all over the place with the 8th inning stuff lol
This is what happens when folks think athletes are some kind of punching bag. One bad inning and suddenly they’re wishing harm on a newborn… that’s not “fan passion,” that’s unhinged. I saw somewhere that it’s because of social media algorithms or sports betting but I don’t even follow that stuff, it’s still just scary either way.