A 22-year-old fan has been indefinitely banned from Guaranteed Rate Field after uttering an insult about the late mother of Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte during Tuesday night’s game against the Chicago White Sox. The team confirmed this to Alofoke Deportes this Wednesday morning. The incident, which occurred while Marte was batting in the seventh inning, visibly affected the 31-year-old player. Marte’s mother, Elpidia Valdez, died in a car accident in the Dominican Republic in 2017. Team personnel, including manager Torey Lovullo, heard the comment and requested the fan’s ejection. According to sources close to the situation, the fan expressed remorse for his actions, admitting to having made inappropriate comments. Mars did not make any statements after Tuesday’s game. It is publicly unknown what the fan said to upset the 11-year veteran. This is not the first incident of the season in which a fan makes inappropriate comments to a player on the field.
In late April, a fan in Cleveland yelled at Jarren Duran, outfielder for the Boston Red Sox, after he admitted in a documentary that he attempted suicide three years ago. The fan was ejected and banned from the stadium after that incident.
The Diamondbacks and White Sox will play the last game of the series on Wednesday afternoon, with the Diamondbacks looking to sweep the series.
