Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte broke down in tears after an opposing fan heckled him about his late mother.
During the seventh inning of the Diamondbacks’ game against the Chicago White Sox at Chicago’s Rate Field on Tuesday, June 24, a male fan screamed something about Marte’s mother, Elpidia Valdez, who died in a car accident in 2017.
According to the Arizona Republic, the accident happened not long after Marte had spoken to his mother on the phone.
Marte, 31, became visibly upset and was consoled by Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo and Diamondbacks shortstop Geraldo Perdomo near the pitcher’s mound during a pitching change. It is not clear exactly what the individual said.
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The fan was ejected from the ballpark at the request of Lovullo, 59, and Diamondbacks bench coach Jeff Banister, a team spokesperson told the Republic.
Additionally, the heckler has been banned indefinitely from attending White Sox home games, the Diamondbacks told ESPN.
A source told ESPN’s Jesse Rogers that the fan is “a 22-year-old who was very apologetic and remorseful after the fact and admitted to being very inappropriate and stupid with his comments.”
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Marte declined to comment after the game, during which he hit a home run in the first inning of the team’s 4-1 win, but members of the organization did address the incident.
“I could see he was sobbing,” Lovullo told the Republic. “It hurt. [I told him], ‘I love you and I’m with you and we’re all together and you’re not alone. No matter what happens, no matter what was said or what you heard, that guy is an idiot. It shouldn’t have an impact on you.’”
Lovullo said he could tell the heckling “had an immediate impact on him” and he reacted “as a dad would” in comforting his player. The manager said Marte’s mother was “the world to him.”
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Perdomo, 25, called on the league to take action, which they reportedly did.
“That can’t happen,” Perdomo said. “Everybody knows how Ketel is. He’s fun. He plays the game hard. I feel bad for him. I feel mad about it. I hope MLB can do something with that guy. I don’t know who it was, but they’ve got to do something. We can’t continue to do that s*** here in MLB.”
Perdomo added, “He should be banned for sure.”
Marte, a two-time All-Star and the MVP of the 2023 National League Championship Series, is having another All-Star caliber season, batting .320 with 15 home runs and 32 RBIs.
