When David Price wished his 1.67 million followers on Twitter a Merry Christmas, the first response was that he needed to win a playoff game. Eight more similar missives quickly followed.

He tried again a week later, posting a photograph of his wife, Tiffany, and announcing they were expecting a baby. There were even two dogs in the photo. Who could hate that?

Many did, taking the opportunity to tell Price he should be traded or pointing out his poor record in the playoffs.

“I pray we get rid of you. Biggest waste of money,’’ responded Cody Ford when Price joked about his poor playoff record in ­November.

Ford, a 27-year-old from Wakefield, describes himself as a lifelong Red Sox fan. But he can’t warm up to Price.

“I just don’t like the way he handles himself after losses or the way he handles the media to a certain extent,’’ said Ford when contacted by the Globe. “It doesn’t seem like he wants to be here. He is an elite pitcher but very thin-skinned.’’

Ford readily admits to going after Price “hard’’ but hopes that it somehow helps.

“I was indeed hoping to light a little fire under his butt,’’ he said.

A large majority of professional athletes are cautious about how they use social media.

Dustin Pedroia composed four tweets in 2016, two that thanked companies for free clothing. He last responded directly to a follower in 2015. Other Sox players take largely the same approach. But Price dives in.

“The way I view it, it doesn’t matter what I say on social media. I’ll get the same comments from the same people,’’ he said. “So if I call myself out, what can you say?’’

Price said his in-person interactions with fans have been uniformly positive.

“People are always nice,’’ he said. “If I go out to pick up food or whatever, people will say, ‘We have your back.’ I appreciate that.’’

On Twitter, Price can get a little salty, jabbing back at followers who throw the first digital punch.

“He needs to be accountable on the mound, not on Twitter or with the media. Stay off Twitter. Tell fans you mean business during the season,’’ said Danny ­Teixeira, a 37-year-old Sox fan from East Providence, R.I.

Teixeira has called for Price to be traded several times on Twitter. But he admits there’s a side of Price he likes and is rooting for him to succeed.

“Win and we’ll embrace you,’’ he said.

Price, who was a fan favorite with his three previous teams, understands that. But he also pitched better for those teams than he did in his first season with the Sox.

“I’ve been adored in Tampa, in Detroit, and in Toronto. I could have run for prime minister [in Toronto] and won by a lot,’’ he said.

“I had the best interactions with fans at Fenway Park and in Boston before I came to the Red Sox. I’d be in the ­outfield during [batting practice] and I had a lot of fun with the fans.’’

Not everybody is angry with Price. Zack Pournaras, an 18-year-old from Nashua, was one of the many who cracked that maybe Price’s baby could win a playoff game.

But he’s on the lefthander’s side.

“As a Sox fan I’m always going to have faith in the guy and I am sure all other Sox fans will too,’’ he said.

Peter Abraham can be reached at pabraham@ globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @PeteAbe.