Dodgers’ Julio Urías reveals Padres fans taunted him over eye issues

When will San Diego Padres fans learn? In wake of a political revolution? The afterlife? The arrival of the Apocalypse? How do they not get “it” by now? It’s just embarrassing they continue to expose themselves and let the Los Angeles Dodgers steal win after win, on and off the field.

This instance, however, is the most unsavory because it goes so far off the field and brings out the worst in sports fans.

Julio Urías, the new Dodgers ace who has welcomed the spotlight over the last few years, has famously dealt with eye issues ever since he was a kid. Urías was diagnosed with a periorbital benign mass that had to be removed four times from when he was a kid up until May of 2015.

He underwent a number of other eye procedures when he was younger, which is documented in Jorge Castillo’s feature in the LA Times (subscription required) from last week.

Urías revealed in that story that Mexican fans in San Diego taunted him by making jokes about his partially-closed left eye, but thankfully the left-hander knew exactly how to respond without taking the below-the-belt jeers too personally.

Padres fans taunting Dodgers’ Julio Urías over eye condition are despicable

Look, there’s trash talk when it comes to sports rivalries, and then there’s mean-spirited acts that take aim at tearing a person down. There’s no place for the latter to ever really occur, but to bring that into the sports realm is beyond sickening.

Athletes already spend countless hours on their bodies to ensure they’re in the best shape possible to deliver the best product possible. Some, unfortunately, such as Urías, need to overcome rare health issues in addition to remaining in peak physical form to maintain their status as a professional.

Urías should be championed for his lifelong struggles with his eye conditioned, never made a mockery of.

But that’s the essence of Padres fans, right? To calling Manny Machado the Dodgers’ “Daddy”, to attempting to tear down LA’s 2020 World Series because it occurred during a shortened season, to pointing out various times the Dodgers have fallen short on the big stage, they’re never focused on themselves. Because how could they be! There’s nothing to focus on. The Dodgers’ failures are successes that Padres fans can’t even dream of at the moment.

This, though, really deflates everything as it pertains to the narrative between these two clubs. At least have some class if you’re going to try and take the Dodgers off their throne. Don’t be tasteless, tactless and purposely hurtful. That’s not what sports are about.

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