Major League Baseball officials took action against a baseball fan who made Arizona Diamondbacks player Ketel Marte cry. The incident happened during the D-Backs’ 4-1 win over the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field on Tuesday night.
A fan heckled the second baseman while he was at bat during the seventh inning of the game. According to reports, the fan yelled something about Marte’s mother.
Video shows Marte break down in tears on the field while his teammates consoled him.
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
D-Backs manager Torey Lovullo yelled at the fan, “You dumb f***, his mom died, you dumb f***!” Lovullo is seen telling security to throw the fan out of the stadium.
Marte’s mom Elipidia Valdez died in a car accident in the Dominican Republic in 2017.
Torey Lovullo confronted a fan in the stands who made inappropriate comments about Ketel Marte’s mother, using strong language to call the fan a “dumb fuck” and telling them to “get the fuck out of here.”
The fan has since been banned from all MLB stadiums. pic.twitter.com/pqHCFVwI75
— ? Mr. Az (@MrAzSports) June 25, 2025
According to USA Today, MLB and the White Sox agreed to ban the fan from all major league ballparks in the United States indefinitely
“It was a terrible moment,” an emotional Lovullo said after the game. “Fans are nasty, and fans go too far. I love my players, and I’m going to protect them. I’ve known Ketel for nine years, and he’s had some unbelievably great moments and some hardships, as well. Some really, really tough moments in his life, and I know those. At the end of the day, we’re human beings and we have emotions. I saw him hurting, and I wanted to protect him.”
Video of Marte crying sparked discussions about the soft guy era on social media. Men and women were uncomfortable seeing a baseball player cry. But Marte is from the Dominican Republic, where men wear their emotions on their sleeves.
American boys are taught to suppress their emotions and never cry because crying shows weakness.
One X user wrote: “What the fan did was wrong… But crying about it like a little girl…?..c’mon.”
Another fan wrote: “Can I get a transcript of what the fan said to make Ketel (a grown man) cry?”
A third fan wrote: “There’s no crying in baseball.”
What the fan did was wrong…. But crying about it like a little girl…?..c’mon…
— Bill J (@wsj112962) June 25, 2025
Can I get a transcript of what the fan said to make Ketel (a grown man) cry?
Anybody?
— Not Matt Damon (@RyanMooreplz) June 26, 2025
Definitely not condoning the fan’s behavior, but if after 8 years the man breaks down and cries he might want to get some help. Sounds like he needs help dealing with her death.
— RightSideRobert (@robert23190) June 25, 2025
He better get tough, because people will always be nasty.
— A Dogs Life (@K9Dirk) June 25, 2025
There’s no crying in baseball.
— K. Joe Heitz (@n351wj) June 25, 2025
