Arizona Diamondbacks star Ketel Marte broke down in tears after a fan hurled cruel remarks about his late mother — an outburst that led to the fan’s league-wide ban.
A fan has been banned indefinitely from all Major League Baseball stadiums after making a deeply offensive comment about Arizona Diamondbacks star Ketel Marte’s late mother during Tuesday night’s game against the Chicago White Sox.
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The incident occurred on June 25, 2025, at Guaranteed Rate Field during the Diamondbacks’ 4–1 victory over Chicago. Tensions rose in the seventh inning when Marte became emotional after a fan shouted a derogatory remark regarding his mother, Elpidia Valdez, who died in a car accident in the Dominican Republic in 2017.
The individual, a 22-year-old fan, was quickly identified and removed from the stadium. A White Sox spokesperson confirmed that the spectator later expressed regret for his actions. According to the team’s security personnel, the fan was reportedly “very apologetic and remorseful after the fact, and admitted to being very inappropriate and stupid with his comments.”
Despite the apology, Major League Baseball imposed a sweeping penalty by issuing an indefinite ban from all major league stadiums.
Arizona manager Torey Lovullo and bench coach Jeff Banister were instrumental in alerting stadium officials during the game. Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s series finale, Lovullo shared that he “had a little bit of an interaction with the fan” while the insults were being hurled at Marte.
“He wasn’t getting it and was very pompous, and it didn’t sit right with me,” Lovullo said. “It was just a gross comment you wouldn’t say about anybody, let alone someone who lost their mom.We need better baseball fans. Baseball deserves better.”
Sending love to Ketel Marte who was in tears on the field after a fan yelled something at him about his mother, who passed away in a car accident in 2017, per @CDrottar19 pic.twitter.com/I14Zc1gkV1
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) June 25, 2025
Marte, who hit a solo home run in the first inning, was visibly distressed during a pitching change in the bottom of the seventh. Lovullo approached the second baseman on the field, placing an arm around him as he sobbed.
The team has since confirmed that Marte declined to speak publicly about the incident.
