Major League Baseball is investigating the alleged hacking of Derek Holland's Twitter account on Sunday night that ended with a homophobic slur appearing on the pitcher's timeline for a brief moment before being deleted.
Texas Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said Monday that the team is taking the matter seriously.
"It's not something we'd look to brush under the rug," Daniels said Monday, according to The Dallas Morning News. "It is unacceptable terms of use. Derek said he wasn't aware of it when we asked him about it. MLB will continue to investigate."
Holland said it was a hacker who posted a homophobic slur on his Twitter account during Sunday night's game against the Los Angeles Angels.
The slur was in apparent response to critical comments posted by a fan on Holland's account, @Dutch_Oven45. Holland said he was told of the hacking after the game.
"It's obvious it was not me," Holland said. "It was during the game, for one. And for two, I'm in the dugout cheering my teammates on. Why would I say that anyway to begin with?"
Holland said his fiancée, Lauren Hicks, has access to his Twitter account but reiterated that the slur was the work of a hacker. The slur was deleted quickly, according to Holland's Twitter followers, but screen caps of the message were saved and re-posted.
"It's definitely a hacker," Holland said. "Obviously my fiancée can get into it, but trust me, she's not like that. She's one of the nicest people in the world."
Major League Baseball prohibits players from using electronic devices during games and within 30 minutes of start times.
"I apologize for whoever it was that decided to hack into my Twitter and do that," Holland said. "But I can't sit here and be responsible for that. I can't control what people do."
Holland started Sunday night's game and gave up four runs in the first inning. However, he ultimately earned the win in an 8-7 victory that clinched a playoff spot for the Rangers.
"To hear something like that once I came out of the game kind of kills me," Holland said. "People do dumb things and if that's what makes them happy, let them do that. But trust me, I'm better than that. I would never do that, especially during a game."
