Two months after an MLB bettor tweeted at Oakland Athletics player, Brent Rooker, lamenting his inability to hit a home run to cash a $5 to win $21,759 home run parlay, the Athletics’ designated hitter sent him a signed jersey.
“To Mr. Skunkii, stop wasting your money on me!”, prompting the bettor to post his newly autographed jersey thanking Rooker for the gift.
This MLB bettor, @Skunkii_Plays on X, originally DM’d Rooker right after he was unable to record a home run hit, writing “You sold me yesterday! 1 leg away from 21k and you could only hit singles.” Rooker responded with, “My brother, I cannot even begin to express how much I do not care”, but eventually mailed the signed jersey.
Parlay details and betting safety
The parlay was placed on July 27, 2024, and it had home runs from Rhys Hoskins, Aaron Judge, Cal Raleigh, and Ketel Marte visible in the screenshot posted on X. Rooker was the last leg, with a $3,348.85 cash-out option off of the $5 wager. Rooker faced the Los Angeles Angels on July 27th, recording three hits, all singles, ending his two-game home-run streak.
Despite the mild exchange online, other bettors have been more aggressive toward players and officials. Death threats and stalking befell an MLB pitcher and another MLB general manager.
Collegiate sports betting markets in several legal sports betting states, like Maryland, opted to ban individual collegiate player props to curb player harassment earlier in 2024. During March Madness, UNC basketball player Armando Bacot said he received over 100 DMs from angry bettors based on his performance, while Auburn QB Payton Thorne revealed that he’s received Venmo requests from frustrated sports bettors asking for their money back.
