On Tuesday, September 15, Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Danny Duffy missed his flight to Detroit. He was scheduled to start against the Tigers that night. Reports say Duffy was in some kind of car incident. Shortly after these reports came out, the team announced that Duffy was fine physically. Because of this issue, the Royals announced Jakob Junis would start against the Tigers that night. Before fans start judging Duffy, I want you guys to remember that Duffy has a history of anxiety, depression, and has a panic disorder. In 2019, Duffy told reporters that he experienced bullying in his childhood and throughout his minor league career. Because of his mental health issues, he announced he was retiring from baseball in 2010. He did not stay retired for long, as we all know. As fans, most of us assume that professional athletes have the best life in the world. We need to stop assuming that because most of the time that isn’t true. Just imagine being in a professional athlete’s shoes or any celebritie’s shoes. As we all know, celebrities and athletes are on the road all the time, causing them to be away from their families for a long period of time. Royals manager Mike Matheny told reporters that Duffy apologized to him and his teammates. Matheny told reporters, “It was good that Danny got up and took some ownership. It’s a situation he didn’t want to happen. A couple other guys spoke up, and they supported each other. This is a group that cares about each other.” I am not surprised how the players responded to this, knowing how Dayton Moore runs the organization like a family and brings in players and staff members with good character. I hope Duffy can get the help that he needs during these difficult times.
