Boston Red Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito has received so many threatening comments from online gamblers, he took his complaints directly to commissioner Rob Manfred.
Giolito revealed on the “Baseball Isn’t Boring” podcast that he and his girlfriend both receive threatening messages from bettors, even after victories. The situation has been getting worse all season, and Giolito sought and received a meeting with Manfred to offer a direct warning.
“One thing I said to Rob: ‘Is it going to take a player getting assaulted in front of their apartment building by some disgruntled guy that lost a bet for real action to be taken?'” Giolito said. “The social media apps themselves … they don’t do anything.”
It's a @BBisntBoring on the Go: Lucas Giolito talked to Rob Manfred today about the growing problem with gambling-induced threats in MLB
— Rob Bradford (@bradfo) July 22, 2025
Listen: https://t.co/GozwBKiDi2 pic.twitter.com/QY6mLjfzyX
Giolito added that Manfred seemed “taken aback” by the severity of the problem.
This is a problem that has not been isolated to Giolito. Earlier this season, Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. had to enlist security after his family received threats from bettors. It turned out that some of the threatening messages were coming from people who were nowhere near Houston.
Giolito has had a strong season for the Red Sox. Through 14 starts, he is 6-2 with a 3.59 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 77.2 innings.
