During Tuesday night’s game at Wrigley Field, Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte was seen crying on the field after a heckler allegedly made cruel comments about his late mother.
Marte, who had already homered earlier in the game, suddenly looked shaken. Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo noticed and immediately went over to comfort him.
“I just reacted as a dad would when I went out to change pitchers,” Lovullo later told reporters. “I could see he was sobbing. It hurt.”
Ketel Marte seems visibly upset and in tears during a pitching change
byu/amatom27 inbaseball
Marte’s mother, Elpidia Valdez, passed away in a car accident in the Dominican Republic back in 2017. Since then, he speaks openly about the pain of losing her and how it continues to shape his life and career.
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
Support pours in from teammates and fans
Following the incident, teammates surrounded Marte on the field, offering words of support and physically consoling him before the game resumed.
Despite the emotional moment, the Diamondbacks held their lead and came out on top with a 4–1 win over the White Sox.
While the fan's identity remains a mystery, reactions online were quick and emotional.
"I’m all for letting Marte fight a fan this one time," one Reddit user wrote in a post shared on r/baseball.
Another added, "The level of work that goes into being that big of a [expletive] amazed me… This moron went out of his way to find out Marte’s mother died in 2017 and decided that was going to be the way he heckled an opposing player."
"What the [expletive]? Bring back public shaming," a third person said.
Sports fans on X are united
If one thing's for certain, people who are tweeting about this ordeal are absolutely on Ketel Marte's side, including the MLB.
We stand with you, Ketel Marte ?? pic.twitter.com/0fFUbegw4A
— MLB (@MLB) June 25, 2025
Hey #WhiteSox fans… when Ketel Marte steps up to bat tomorrow, give him a standing ovation. Show him we are better than one bum douchebag. Show him the love he deserves. Show him we understand that life is bigger than sport.
— The Chicago Pope (@TheChicagoPope) June 25, 2025
Whoever hurt Ketel Marte has a very short lifespan remaining.... Nobody gets to steal joy from this man and live to tell the story! pic.twitter.com/Uo4q1Am3mM
— Jon Genre (@LageNomAiNomAi) June 25, 2025
Ketel Marte support post.
— Rocket From The Crypto (@RocketFrmCrypto) June 25, 2025
I used to chat up the opposing players at dodgers stadium in the on deck circle. I asked Ketel one time if he liked beer and wanted some of mine. He smiled and said, “yes.” Dodgers fans got your back homie. pic.twitter.com/KZAL5xZNKK
Ketel Marte should be allowed to fight this fan for five uninterrupted minutes https://t.co/nfKsh68RAH
— sarge (@sarge____) June 25, 2025
I stg let me find that dude that was talking shit to Ketel Marte today pic.twitter.com/NvTA9XJwCk
— Maserati Marv ?️? (@MHJera_) June 25, 2025
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