Keter Marte recently shared what unfolded this week when White Sox fans made emotional comments about their deceased mother directed at him during a game against the Diamondbacks.
The 22-year-old, who received an indefinite ban from all MLB parks on Wednesday, experienced a tough moment in the seventh inning of a game where the Diamondbacks topped the White Sox 4-1 on Tuesday night. Marte was visibly shaken after some fans yelled at him during a pitching change.
During an interview on “Danny Beisbol,” Marte talked about the incident, using Spanish that was translated for viewers.
He mentioned Elpidia Valdez, his late mother, who tragically died in a car accident in the Dominican Republic in 2017.
“It was during the seventh inning; I was prepared at the plate, ready to hit, and I heard a fan yelling from the dugout,” Marte recounted. “He shouted something about my mom — like, ‘I texted your mom last night.’ I was in this town when I got the news about her.”
Marte acknowledged that he had faced hecklers before but had never encountered remarks that touched so personally on his mother’s death. He described the fans’ comments as “uncontrollable.”
Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo quickly stepped in to comfort Marte, who appeared very upset. Lovullo had listened to the comments firsthand but chose not to repeat them publicly.
Afterwards, there were instances captured on video where other players reacted to the situation, with Robro criticizing those fans, expressing disbelief at their behavior.
“Silly F-K,” Rovro appeared to say, addressing the fans directly. “His mom has passed away; you can’t do that. That’s just wrong.”
In a statement, MLB commended the White Sox for taking swift action to remove the offending fans.
Gerald Perdomo, a shortstop for the Diamondbacks, called for disciplinary measures right after the game, emphasizing that such behavior is unacceptable.
“That can’t happen,” he stated, referring to the fans’ actions. “Everyone knows how much Ketel means to us. He plays hard and has a lot of fun. I feel terrible for him and honestly, I’m furious about it.”
Marte is currently in his ninth season with the Diamondbacks after starting his career with the Mariners in 2015. He’s ranking 11th in the league right now and came off a significant 2024 season, where he hit .313 with an OPS of 1.012, earning his first Silver Slugger award and a second All-Star selection.
This year, he is also in the spotlight for having been third in the NL MVP race, following Francisco Lindor and the eventual winner, Shohei Ohtani.
