CHICAGO — What should have been a night of satisfaction for the Diamondbacks' victory ended up being marred by a deeply painful moment for Dominican Ketel Marte, who couldn't hold back the tears after receiving an offensive insult about his deceased mother during Tuesday's game at Guaranteed Rate Field.
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In the seventh inning of the game against the White Sox, while taking his turn at bat, a fan yelled a derogatory comment about his mother, who tragically died in a car accident in 2017. Although Marte managed to hit a fly ball to close the inning, his face reflected a mixture of pain and disbelief as he returned to the dugout. Visibly affected,
he broke down in tears.
The situation was so intense that Arizona manager,
Torey Lovullo, and also Dominican
Geraldo Perdomo came out to console Marte during a break in the game. “
It was a terrible moment. Some fans cross the line. I want and will protect my players”, said Lovullo, visibly moved in the subsequent press conference.
Lovullo reported that he
clearly heard the insult and that, along with coach Jeff Banister, they reported the incident to the stadium security personnel, who
immediately ejected the fan.
“
We can tolerate many things on the field, but when someone touches such a personal wound, it affects us as human beings,” added Lovullo. “
I saw Ketel suffer, and I needed him to know he is not alone. I love him and I am with him.”
Geraldo Perdomo also expressed his indignation: "
It made me angry. I don't know who it was, but we can't allow that. This is baseball, not an excuse to be disrespectful".
Despite the emotional impact, Marte
remained in the game, and with admirable professionalism, contributed with a home run in the first inning and extended his streak of consecutive games with multiple hits.
The incident leaves a clear message about the
limits of public behavior in stadiums. While Marte and his teammates processed the situation with pain and solidarity, the team showed unity and unconditional support for one of their most beloved leaders.
"
You are not alone, we are all with you," was Lovullo's final message to his player. A difficult moment, but one that reflected the humanity behind the uniform.
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