Ketel Marte: Tears on the field after insults about his mother

Ketel Marte, in tears after insult about his mother

The Arizona Diamondbacks’ second baseman, Ketel Marte, was the victim of an unfortunate incident during Wednesday night’s game against the Chicago White Sox at Chase Field. A fan made an offensive comment about his late mother, which provoked a visible emotional reaction in the player. The man was ejected from the stadium at the request of manager Torey Lovullo and bench coach Jeff Banister, according to a team spokesperson. Mars, who had connected a solo home run in the first inning of the game, declined to comment through a team representative. His mother, Elpidia Valdez, died in a car accident in the Dominican Republic in 2017.

(Mars) lowered his head and I could see it had an immediate impact on him, for sure.

Torey Lovullo

Lovullo, who heard the fan’s comment while Marte was batting in the top of the seventh inning, reacted “like a father would” and consoled the player during a pitching change in the bottom of the inning. The manager also added: “I could see that she was sobbing. It hurt me. (I told her), ‘I love you and I’m with you and we’re all together and you’re not alone. Whatever happens, no matter what was said or what you heard, that guy is an idiot. It shouldn’t have any impact on you.” Geraldo Perdomo, visibly upset, expressed his outrage over the incident and emphasized the need for MLB to take action.

That can’t happen. We can’t keep doing that shit here in MLB.

Geraldo Perdomo

Perdomo added that the fan “should be banned, for sure”.