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An unnerving scene unfolded earlier this week when Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte broke down on the field after a heckler referenced his dead mother during a game against the White Sox. It was initially unclear what the fan in question actually said, but that’s no longer the case after he shed light on the comment that moved him to tears.
Every professional athlete knows they’re going to have to deal with their fair share of trash talk and chirps from spectators when they head into enemy territory, but there are some lines you simply don’t cross as a fan when it comes to trying to get into the head of an opponent.
Players who trade verbal jabs with each other subscribe to a largely unspoken code of conduct where it’s widely accepted family members are firmly off limits, and most people sitting in the stands are aware they should also abstain from that particular topic—especially if the person in question is deceased.
In 1995, the NBA suspended Vernon Maxwell for 10 games and hit him with a $20,000 fine when he headed into the crowd to punch a fan he said referenced his stillborn daughter while taunting him, which was certainly not the best look but still a somewhat understandable reaction considering those circumstances.
Earlier this week, Ketel Marte received an outpouring of support in the wake of an incident that transpired when the Diamondbacks played the White Sox on Tuesday night, as he ended up in tears on the diamond after someone sitting near the field heckled him while referencing his mother, who passed away in a car crash in his native Dominican Republic in 2017.
The man responsible was ejected from the game and received an indefinite ban from every MLB stadium, and we now have some insight into the comment that triggered Marte’s emotional reaction courtesy of the man himself.
Ketel Marte speaks on what happen with the fan in Chicago.
Marte said the fan said, “I sent text messages to your mom.” pic.twitter.com/YQm9WzFsXx
— 🌵 Mr. Az (@MrAzSports) June 27, 2025
Here’s what he had to say:
“I came to bat. I’m ready at the plate. I hear this fan shouting—he was at the top of the dugout—he yelled at me. saying stuff about my mom. He was like, ‘I sent your mom a text last night.’
When everything happened with my mom, I was [playing a series] in Chicago…Something needs to be done about the fans. It’s getting out of hand. People always yell stuff at me, but never about my mom. People know that my mom passed away in an accident.
We’re praying for him and his family. May God protect them and help him heal his heart.”
It does seem like there is a chance the fan wasn’t actually aware Marte’s mother passed away, as that particular comment is a juvenile but pretty run-of-the-mill quip (as someone who keeps tabs on the MLB but considers myself a fairly casual fan, I can’t personally say I remember hearing about the news of her death eight years ago before the story resurfaced in light of what whent down).
With that said, this is still a fairly invaluable reminder that athletes are human beings just like everyone else, and it’s never going to hurt to think twice before you decide to hurl an insult their way.