Every true baseball fan understands a few rules: a home run ball that is caught midair belongs to the person who catches it, and a home run ball that lands in the bleachers is a live ball, available to the first person who finds it.
Also, at the end of the day, children should come first when it comes to fun experiences when attending a live event.
But one woman, who has since been nicknamed "Phillies Karen," did not seem to get that memo at a recent Philadelphia Phillies game when she demanded a ball a man had collected for his son.
Popular baller Harrison Bader hit a home run inside the left field stands, where Drew Feltwell and his son were seated. There were quite a few free seats, so when the ball landed in the stands in the same row where Feltwell was seated, he had no problem running down the row to retrieve the ball, placing it in his son's glove upon returning to his seat.
The problem was that there were also baseball enthusiasts in the seats in the rows above where the ball landed, so as they were reaching for the ball, Feltwell was able to more easily retrieve it and got to it first.
One woman took that as a personal offense and quickly walked up to the Feltwell family. As Feltwell had just given the ball to his son, placed it in his mitt, and hugged him, the woman grabbed his arm and began to yell at him about how it was her ball.
Feltwell attempted to point out where it had landed and how he had managed to get it, but the woman was not interested and continued to yell about how it was hers.
Feltwell decided not to escalate the situation, and his son appeared clearly disappointed and hurt when he took the ball back and handed it to the woman. The woman stormed off, looking angry despite her prize.
You can see the incident here:
You can also see the incident from another angle:
Feltwell has since been interviewed by NBC Sports and was open about his shock and disbelief at how the moment unfolded.
“I was already ecstatic, like got Bader’s home run ball, and I get to put it in my son’s glove and that was, it was already enough... You know, and then, then here she comes.”
“Something touched my arm, and then she just screamed in my ear, ‘That’s my ball,’ like, so loud."
Though he didn't want to take the ball from his son, he felt it was best to teach his children about being gracious rather than causing an unnecessary disturbance.
"There was kind of a fork in the road, like, I’m gonna go one direction and then probably regret... Or go this direction and do something in front of my kids that, you know, like a teaching moment."
You can see Feltwell's full statement here:
- YouTubewww.youtube.com
Despite the dad's willingness to comply, some thought that giving up the ball, or going after it in the first place, sent the wrong message.
But most took issue with the "Phillies Karen" going after a ball she never touched, let alone taking it from a child.
Fortunately for the Feltwell family, and especially Lincoln, there was more in store than a home run ball.
First, Lincoln was gifted a basket of goodies to take home, right there in the stands.
After the game, Lincoln was given a signed baseball bat, signed by Bader himself.
There was some disagreement in the comments section about whose ball it should have been initially when it only involved adults, but things changed for viewers once the moment involved Feltwell's son.
Fortunately for Lincoln Feltwell, he got to experience "when one door closes, a better door opens" firsthand.