The 2025 campaign has been a rough one for the Baltimore Orioles as a whole. After a breakout campaign in 2024, the Orioles have never found their stride this season, with their 60-70 record currently seeing them sit in last place in the American League East. As a result of their struggles, fans aren’t particularly happy with the team.
While it’s reasonable for fans to be irritated with a team that doesn’t meet expectations, some lines should never be crossed. After a rough outing against the Houston Astros, starting pitcher Cade Povich revealed that one of those lines was crossed by a fan who sent a concerning threat to his wife on social media.
Cade Povich Calls Out Fan for Threatening His Wife on Social Media
Baltimore has a collection of young talent at its disposal, and one guy who is involved in that crowd is Povich. The young left-hander made his MLB debut last season, but he struggled, posting a 3-9 record and a 5.20 ERA over 16 starts. These sorts of woes aren’t unusual for a player making the jump from the minors to the pros, and the hope was that Povich would be able to figure things out this season.
Unfortunately for the Orioles, that hasn’t happened. Povich’s numbers in 2025 are very similar to what he did last season, as he has a 2-7 record with a 5.13 ERA in 17 appearances, 15 of which have been starts. While he has struck out 95 batters, which is a big leap from the 69 strikeouts he had last season, Povich has continued to get hit hard by major league offenses.
Povich turned in another rough outing on Friday against the Astros, as he gave up six runs (four earned) on four hits and two walks while striking out five in 4.2 innings of work. After this outing, one angry fan sent a disturbing threat to Povich’s wife, Sophia, on Instagram, and when the Orioles starter caught wind of the message, he quickly called the fan out in a post on X.
“I understand that I may not have performed or have gotten the results that I, my team, or many fans may have wanted so I get the frustration,” Povich wrote. “Say what you want about me in that regard. However, going out of your way to DM my wife is unacceptable and what is shown in this image is crossing the line. Me, or especially my wife, should not have to worry about our safety in the public, nonetheless church, because of how I perform on the mound.”
“I’m coming on here to say something about this because I know my family is not alone. This stuff does not belong in the game. Matthew 5:43-48”
Cade Povich Becomes Latest MLB Player to Face Threats from Fans
GettyCade Povich pitching the baseball during a July 12 game against the New York Yankees.
One of the themes of the 2025 MLB season has been an increase in threats sent from fans to players across the league. With the rise of online sports betting and athletes being more accessible than ever on social media, it has created a whirlwind that is having a negative impact on these players. At the end of the day, these guys are all human, and it’s clear that this sort of behavior is unacceptable.
Povich’s decision to expose the fan was brave, and he has become the latest player to fight back against the recent trend of athletes facing threats from fans on a near-daily basis. All Povich can do is work on getting better, and he will try to get back on track when he takes the mound next in Baltimore’s upcoming series against the Boston Red Sox.
