Back in 2017, 23-year-old Ketel Marte was in his first season with the Arizona Diamondbacks when he lost his mother in a tragic car accident. He flew back to the Dominican Republic and spent a few days with his family. No one could’ve prepared him for a heartbreak this heavy. Since then, he has dedicated every hit to his mom. It has been more of a ritual for him to point to the sky, believing she is looking down at him. To keep her close, he has a tattoo of her on his left arm.
Over time, he has channeled his grief into performing exceptionally on the field. With the same drive, he took the field on Tuesday night for the Diamondbacks as they went up against the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field. To set the tone early in the game, he crushed a soaring home run in the first inning.
However, the momentum shifted when cameras caught him wiping away tears in the middle of the field. All his teammates huddled around him. The fans were left wondering what had shaken Marte so badly. Soon enough, it was revealed that a white Sox fan had said something offensive to Marte about his late mother, Elpidia Valdez.
Sending love to Ketel Marte who was in tears on the field after a fan yelled something at him about his mother, who passed away in a car accident in 2017, per @CDrottar19 pic.twitter.com/I14Zc1gkV1
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) June 25, 2025
The fan was soon ejected. However, Marte was visibly devastated as he began to break down. Manager Torey Lovullo and shortstop Geraldo Perdomo emotionally confirmed the awful incident after the game. The Diamondbacks notched a 4-1 win against the white Sox. Marte went 2-for-4, including his first-inning home run. However, seeing him break down had a significant impact on the field.
The clip of Marte crying immediately went viral. Consequently, fans were outraged and demanded some serious action against that fan. “I looked right at him when I heard,” Lovullo stated. “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.” Lovullo expressed the impact it had on Marte but refused to disclose exactly what the remark was.
However, it was clear how brutally it affected Marte and the Diamondbacks. “I love you. I’m with you. You’re not alone.” Lovullo told Marte when he visited the mound. The skipper reportedly called the fan an “idiot” and explained to Marte that it shouldn’t impact him. Easier said than done, right? But who will tell this to the fans who are just as disappointed with that white Sox fan?
MLB Fans unite to slam the white Sox fan who mocked Ketel Marte
For the record, Marte is currently on pace for the best season of his career. Moreover, since he’s among the contenders for the NL MVP award, he was already grabbing attention from the league before this awful incident. In the aftermath, MLB fans, who rarely agree with each other, were united in their condemnation of this white Sox fan. Calls began mounting for him to be banned over his cruel remark to Marte.
Every time a fan triggers a player from the stands, the player is expected to remain calm despite the repeated provocation. This time, it left fans frustrated. “Now, if Ketel went after the fan, Ketel would be wrong. Why would the fan even do something like that?” Given the way that the fan yelled a brutal remark about Marte’s deceased mother, it would have been very difficult for Marte not to respond. In a hypothetical scenario, had Marte reacted back toward the fan, wouldn’t the headlines have painted him as an aggressive Diamondbacks player?
MLB fans didn’t just go after that one fan; they collectively blamed the white Sox Nation. “WHAT THE —, NOT COOL WHITE SOX FANS.” The fan was ejected for his action, but that didn’t seem enough to many. The awful incident prompted MLB fans to direct their anger at the entire Chicago fan base.
Credit: MLB.com
Many fans called for the use of digital technology to identify this individual. “The Internet needs to do its thing and find out who this fan is.” Several fans agreed on the desire to uncover his identity. Such heckling and personal remarks should be addressed, and some form of punishment is important at this point.
Earning a multimillion-dollar contract doesn’t mean a player can’t be emotionally harmed. Marte didn’t sign for this; he signed for his exceptional performance. “Pardon my language, but — that fan. And there are people that are going to say, ‘he’s paid millions; he has to deal with fans heckling.’ Absolutely not you do not cross that line you don’t talk about his mother that passed. Period.” It’s not just a part of the game; it shouldn’t be acceptable. Marte is a silver slugger and is having his best season yet; however, that doesn’t mean he can tolerate something like this.
Calls began mounting for this fan to be banned from all MLB games. “Should never be allowed to step in any ballpark ever again. Disgusting.” The league is supposed to protect its players from such inhuman beings. Naturally, fans demanded that this fan be permanently removed from all ballparks.
Marte’s pain was used against him on Tuesday night. As awful as that is, fans now await a response from MLB on this.
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