Ketel Marte of the Arizona Diamondbacks was brought to tears after a fan cruelly heckled him during a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox.
The moment occurred on Tuesday night at Chicago's Rate Field, during Ketel Marte's at-bat in the seventh inning, with the Diamondbacks leading.
Ketel Ricardo Marte Valdez, hailing from the Dominican Republic, is a two-time All-Star, earning this distinction in 2019 and again in 2024. In 2023, he was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the National League Championship Series when the Diamondbacks advanced to the World Series.
Yesterday, a fan shouted derogatory remarks at Marte regarding the baseball player’s late mother, who died in 2017.
According to the New York Times, Marte was only 23 years old when his mother, Elpidia Valdez, died in a car accident in the Dominican Republic, shortly after they had spoken on the phone. Marte missed four games during that season to return home to grieve and support his family.
Diamondbacks’ manager Torey Lovullo told the Arizona Republic:
“I looked right at him when I heard. I looked right at him, and he looked at the person, as well. He put his head down, and I could tell it had an immediate impact on him, for sure.”
Clearly upset with tears in his eyes, Marte stepped out to end the inning and was seen staring at the fan involved. Lovullo was seen putting his arm around Marte before signaling for a pitching change.
You can watch the video below:
The incident infuriated Marte’s teammates as shortstop Geraldo Perdomo defended his teammate and demanded that Major League Baseball do more to police fan behavior at games.
Calling for the spectator to be banned from baseball, Perdomo angrily 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.”
Lovullo and bench coach Jeff Banister asked security to eject the 22-year-old fan for being disrespectful during the game. According to Jesse Rogers from ESPN, the fan has been banned indefinitely from attending White Sox home games and has expressed remorse for the inappropriate comments made towards Marte.
In a postgame interview with MLB.com, Lovullo discussed how he comforted Marte:
“Fans are nasty. Fans go too far sometimes. I love my players, and I’m gonna protect them… 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.”
According to ESPN, this is not the first time this season that a fan has said something inappropriate to a player. In April, a fan in Cleveland shouted at Boston Red Sox player Jarren Duran, referencing his suicide attempt from three years ago that Duran bravely shared in a documentary. That fan was also ejected and banned from the ballpark.
Despite facing cruel remarks, Marte is having an impressive season. He hit a solo home run in the first inning and continued to play after taking a break in the dugout. Marte chose not to comment after the game, which the Diamondbacks won 4-1.
Sports fans came to Marte’s defense.
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Ketel Marte is having the best season of his career and is currently the longest-tenured member of the Arizona Diamondbacks. He is a contender for the National League MVP award after finishing third in the voting last season.
The Diamondbacks are presently ranked 4th in the NL West, with a record of 41-38. The Chicago White Sox will face the Diamondbacks at home today at 2:10 PM Central Time, hoping to end their losing streak.
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