What started as a routine regular-season gut punch for the Dodgers turned into something far uglier off the field on Saturday night, when reliever Tanner Scott’s family was bombarded with violent online threats after a 4-3 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies at Dodger Stadium. His wife, Maddie, shared that the messages did not just target Scott, but explicitly threatened their young son and the baby they are expecting this fall, turning a blown lead into a very real safety scare.
According to TMZ, Maddie posted screenshots on Instagram of direct messages that included comments like “gun shot your family tonight” along with other graphic wishes of harm. Alongside the images, she wrote, “When did it stop being a game?” and later added, “I don’t speak out often. Ever actually. I promise you, you don’t know what it’s like unless you’re living it,” TMZ reported.
How the game unfolded
On the field, the story was supposed to be straightforward. Scott entered in the eighth inning with the Dodgers holding a 3-1 lead and proceeded to give up three earned runs, including a two-run homer to Edmundo Sosa that flipped the score and handed Philadelphia a 4-3 comeback win. As detailed by the Los Angeles Times, Scott acknowledged after the game that he left a pitch over the plate on the decisive swing.
Family and contract background
Scott, 31, is not some fringe call-up. He signed a four-year, $72 million contract with the Dodgers in January 2025, per MLB.com. TMZ also notes that Tanner and Maddie welcomed their first son in 2023 and are expecting another child this fall, details Maddie referenced in her Instagram posts as she laid out the context for the abuse the family is facing.
Legal and safety implications
Messages like the ones the Scotts received are not just cruel; they can be criminal. California’s criminal-threat statute makes it illegal to willfully threaten death or great bodily injury when the threat causes sustained fear, legal experts say. As outlined by Shouse Law, such behavior can be prosecuted under Penal Code 22, and victims are encouraged to save all evidence and reach out to law enforcement.
Part of a wider problem
The Scotts’ ordeal is part of a broader and increasingly ugly trend of fans taking their frustration out on players’ families from behind a screen. The Associated Press reported last year that Houston pitcher Lance McCullers Jr.’s family also received threats serious enough to trigger extra security measures and a police investigation, and teams have at times responded by boosting protections for players’ loved ones.
Maddie Scott’s posts prompted swift and loud backlash against the anonymous abusers, with fans and fellow observers condemning the messages as far beyond any acceptable reaction to a baseball game. The episode is another stark reminder of how social media vitriol can cross legal and ethical lines, dragging players’ families into the line of fire for what happens on the field.
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