Stroman's mom received 'vulgar comments' from Puerto Rican fans

Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Marcus Stroman will take the hill for the United States at the World Baseball Classic final against Puerto Rico on Wednesday.

Things could have been different though, as Stroman had the opportunity to pitch for his opponent due to his maternal Puerto Rican background.

The decision not to pitch for the undefeated team, however, has apparently led to his mother, Adlin Auffant, receiving disrespectful comments.

"I know a lot of people have been saying bad things to her, going through the process, on social media," Stroman told FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal after the U.S. defeated Japan on Tuesday.

"That's my mother. I stand by her always. She supports me through everything. I don't respect some of the comments that were made toward my mother."

Stroman, who was born in the U.S., teased the idea of pitching for Puerto Rico on his Twitter account in 2013.

The decision to do otherwise has led to "vulgar comments" toward Auffant, according to her Twitter account, but her son has chosen to take a positive approach in dealing with the nastiness.

Stroman will square off against the same Puerto Rican squad that scored four earned runs on eight hits against him in the second round, hoping for redemption and to help his country win its first-ever WBC championship.

Seth Lugo gets the start for Puerto Rico.