On a night that should’ve been just another midseason game, a single comment from the stands brought an entire stadium to a standstill.
Tuesday at Guaranteed Rate Field, during a game between the Chicago White Sox and Arizona Diamondbacks, a 22-year-old fan shouted something personal-and deeply painful-at Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte. The remark referenced Marte’s late mother, Elpidia Valdez, who died in a 2017 car accident in the Dominican Republic. Marte, 31, stepped out of the batter’s box in the seventh inning visibly shaken and in tears.
The comment wasn’t just overheard by Marte-it was heard by the Diamondbacks dugout, including manager Torey Lovullo, who immediately alerted stadium security. The fan was ejected on the spot. By Wednesday morning, MLB had confirmed the fan had been banned indefinitely from all 30 league ballparks.
“There’s no place for that in baseball,”MLB said in a statement, adding that it commended the White Sox for their quick response.
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The individual involved has since expressed remorse, according to sources close to the team, but the damage was already done. Marte declined to comment postgame, though his teammates made it clear that the moment rattled the clubhouse.
“He’s one of the toughest guys we know,” a D-backs teammate told ESPN. “For him to be that affected… it shows how out of line it was.”
While the fan’s exact words haven’t been made public, the context was clear enough for security and league officials to act decisively. On Wednesday night, in a show of support, White Sox fans gave Marte a round of applause during his first at-bat. Though he went hitless, the gesture didn’t go unnoticed.
This isn’t the first time a player has been targeted with a personal heckle this season. In April, a fan in Cleveland was banned after referencing Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran’s mental health in a disturbing outburst, as covered by CBS Sports and The Athletic.
The White Sox ended up winning the series finale 7-3, but the victory was largely overshadowed by what had unfolded the night before. In a season packed with drama on the field, this moment was a reminder that sometimes, the worst hits don’t come from a fastball-but from the stands.
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