Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte hit .316 through his first 52 games this season. File Photo by Tannen Maury/UPI | License Photo
Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Ketel Marte hit a first-inning home run, but was later brought to tears on the field after a fan referenced his late mother in a taunt during a win over the Chicago White Sox in Chicago.
The incident occurred in the seventh inning of the 4-1 victory Tuesday at Rate Field. Marte was seen shedding tears before being embraced by manager Torey Lovullo and shortstop Geraldo Perdomo.
Perdomo and Lovullo later confirmed to reporters that the taunt referenced his mother, who died in a 2017 car accident. Marte remained in the game. He went 2 for 4 with an RBI and run scored for the Diamondbacks.
The fan was ejected from Rate Field.
“It was a terrible moment,” Lovullo said. “Fans are nasty, and fans go too far. I love my players, and I’m going to protect them.
“I’ve known Ketel for nine years, and he’s had some unbelievably great moments and some hardships, as well. Some really, really tough moments in his life, and I know those. At the end of the day, we’re human beings and we have emotions. I saw him hurting, and I wanted to protect him.”
Marte, a two-time All-Star, smacked a 3-0 fastball to right center field for a 401-foot solo home run in the second at-bat of Tuesday’s win. Perdomo, center fielder Alek Thomas and catcher Jose Herrera also drove in runs in the victory. Diamondbacks starter Ryne Nelson allowed one hit and one run over five innings.
Marte, a two-time All-Star, leads the Diamondbacks with a .316 batting average. He also hit 14 home runs, 11 doubles and recorded 31 RBIs through his first 52 appearances this season.
“I feel mad about it,” Perdomo said, according to MLB.com. “I don’t know who it was, but they’ve definitely got to do something. We cannot continue to do that [expletive] here in MLB.
“This is baseball, this is for the fans. They came here, they support us, but when they cross the line, we are not with that [expletive].”
The Diamondbacks (41-38), who won five of their last six games, sit in fourth place in the National League West, 7.5 games behind the division-leading Los Angeles Dodgers (49-31).
They will face the White Sox — who own the worst record (25-55) in the American League — in the series finale at 2:10 p.m. EDT Wednesday in Chicago.
