After a chaotic moment, a father handed over his son’s coveted home run baseball to an upset Phillies fan, explaining it was an attempt to smooth things over.
“I just wanted her to leave,” Drew Feltwell shared with NBC10 Philadelphia.
Feltwell was among a group of fans who rushed to grab the home run ball hit by Phillies outfielder Harrison Bader during a game against the Marlins in Miami.
He asserted that he was the first to snatch the ball from the stands, but the older woman nearby wasn’t having it.
“She was a bit back in the seat,” Feltwell recounted. “I’m not sure if she was standing up or not, but I was getting to that spot and, well, the ball just ended up in my hands.”
With a sense of pride, Feltwell returned to his seat, about five rows away, and placed the ball in his son Lincoln’s glove. But that joy was short-lived.
Moments later, the woman, still upset about not getting the ball, confronted Feltwell, yelling about the situation.
Videos captured the scene as the woman claimed that Feltwell had essentially stolen the ball from her.
“I didn’t even see her stand up, and then she was just in my face yelling, ‘That’s my ball!'” Feltwell recalled.
Feeling overwhelmed, he responded, “Why are you here? I’m just leaving.” She insisted the ball belonged to her section, but Feltwell pointed out that there was no one in that spot.
Wishing to avoid escalating the matter, Feltwell opted to hand the ball over.
While the identity of the woman remains unknown, it’s clear that her demands didn’t stop.
“I can’t really recall everything she said,” he admitted, “but by then, we were definitely in the spotlight and she wouldn’t relent, just kept banging on about the ball.”
Lincoln, feeling the pressure, said he felt it was necessary to give the ball to the unruly fan who wouldn’t back down.
“We weren’t exactly thrilled about it, but it felt like we had no choice,” Lincoln commented.
Feltwell reflected on their original goal: to snag a home run ball. “I thought I had done something incredible. But then, all of that just turned into noise, and I didn’t want to deal with it anymore.”
Some fans nearby were not pleased with the woman’s behavior, and at one point, her companion left her side as she continued to push the issue.
The Marlins offered an apology to Lincoln, presenting him with a gift pack that included another baseball for him and his sister. According to footage shared online, Lincoln also had the opportunity to meet Bader after the game.
