A 22-year-old fan has been banned indefinitely from Guaranteed Rate Field after making an offensive remark about Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte’s late mother during Tuesday night’s game against the Chicago White Sox.
The incident occurred during Marte’s seventh-inning at-bat in Arizona’s 4-1 victory. Marte was visibly emotional and brought to tears on the field after the derogatory comment was shouted. Marte’s mother, Elpidia Valdez, died in a car accident in the Dominican Republic in 2017.
A spokesperson for the White Sox said the fan later admitted to making the inappropriate comment and expressed remorse, acknowledging his actions were wrong and “stupid.”
Arizona manager Torey Lovullo and bench coach Jeff Banister immediately called for the fan’s removal. Lovullo said he briefly interacted with the fan, who initially seemed unapologetic.
“He was pompous and didn’t understand the gravity of what he said,” Lovullo explained. “It was a disgusting comment — something no one should say, especially to someone who’s lost their mother. We need better fans. Baseball deserves better.”
During a pitching change later in the inning, Lovullo was seen consoling Marte on the field. Lovullo described his reaction as one a father might have, offering support and reminding Marte that he was not alone.
“I told him, ‘I love you, we’re all with you. What that fan said doesn’t define anything — that guy’s an idiot, and you’re stronger than that,’” Lovullo recalled.
Marte chose not to speak publicly about the incident. However, teammate Geraldo Perdomo said the fan’s behavior should not be tolerated and urged Major League Baseball to step in.
“That kind of behavior can’t happen,” Perdomo said. “He should definitely be banned. There’s no place for that in MLB.”
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