Baseball world supports D-back Ketel Marte after Chicago fan incident

A fan who brought Arizona Diamondbacks center fielder Ketel Marte to tears during a game against the Chicago White Sox has been banned indefinitely from all MLB stadiums.

As the Diamondbacks were playing at Rate Field on June 25, Marte was visibly emotional on the field. After the game, Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said that Marte was upset about a comment that a White Sox fan directed at him about his late mother, Elpidia Valdez, who died in a car accident in the Dominican Republic in 2017.

“I looked right at him and he looked at the person, as well,” Lovullo told reporters. “He put his head down and I could tell it had an immediate impact on him, for sure.”

The 22-year-old fan, who was ejected during the game, admitted that he made the remarks toward Marte. Lovullo was seen consoling Marte during a pitch change at the bottom of the seventh inning, when the incident happened.

Lovullo declined to repeat what the fan said. When asked what he told Marte, he said he told him, “I love you and I’m with you. We’re all together and you’re not alone. No matter what happens, no matter what was said or what you heard, that guy’s an idiot and shouldn’t have an impact on you.”

In a statement, MLB said, “We commend the White Sox for taking immediate action in removing the fan.”

The league confirmed that the fan is banned from all Major League ballparks indefinitely. During Wednesday’s game against the Diamondbacks, the White Sox put a message on their outfield video screen saying, “Baseball is family. The White Sox community supports Ketel Marte.”

Shortstop Geraldo Perdomo, also seen supporting Marte, called the MLB to action after the game.

“I hope MLB can do something about it,” he said. “I think everybody watching on TV could see how emotional he was. We need to stop that (expletive), for sure.”

Fans have been encouraged to donate to the Diamondbacks foundation.

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