Chicago White Sox ban fan who brought Ketel Marte to tears with taunt about late mother
The Chicago White Sox have indefinitely banned a fan from their home games after he brought Arizona Diamondbacks' Ketel Marte to tears after heckling him about his late mother.
Marte was seen in tears on the field after a spectator yelled a derogatory comment about his mother, Elpidia Valdez, who died in a car rash in the Dominican Republic in 2017. Marte was visibly upset during a pitchng change at the bottom of the seventh inning, and manager Torey Lovullo was seen consoling him with an arm around him.
Lovullo and bench coast Jeff Banister asked for the fan to be removed. The White Sox confirmed Wednesday the fan was ejected from the game and has been banned indefinitely.
Marte declined to comment on the incident through a team official. Diamondbacks shortstop Geraldo Perdomo said the fan "should be banned, for sure" and called for Major League Baseball to intervene.
"That can't happen," Perdomo said. "We can't continue to do that ... here in MLB."
While the fan has not been identified, White Sox manager Will Venable discussed the incident Wednesday morning at a media availability.
"No player should ever have to be subjected to that kind of stuff from fans," Venable said. "That's not reflective of anything that I've seen from these White Sox fans. They've been extremely positive and extremely supportive, and for Ketel to have to experience that is extremely disappointing. I sent my apologies over to them last night, and I know a number of us have apologized, again, for what is not representative of how our fans behave, and something that no player should be subjected to."
Asked about the team's response, Venable simply replied, "Anybody who is engaged in that kind of stuff is not going to be welcome."
The White Sox and Diamondbacks play again at The Rate Wednesday afternoon at 1:10 p.m. CT.
contributed to this report.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
37 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Sabres newcomers Josh Doan and Michael Kesselring eager to end Sabres' 14-season playoff drought
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Forward Josh Doan and defenseman Michael Kesselring are fully aware of the Buffalo Sabres' past struggles, and eager to play roles in transforming the team into a winner. 'As a duo, we have to kind of wear it as a badge of honor, that they wanted to bring us in to help this group win,' Doan said during a Zoom call on Thursday, less than 24 hours after he and Kesselring were acquired by Buffalo in a trade with the Utah Mammoth. 'I think this group is going in the right direction, and they have the right guys to go in that direction,' the 23-year-old added. 'It might be one or two pieces or a couple of more to fix that. And that's what they're trying to do.' If anything, their desire to be part of a winner is fueled further by having yet to make the playoffs after opening their careers in Arizona and then falling short in Utah's first season last year. 'It's never fun bouncing around, leaving friends, leaving teammates,' said the 25-year-old Kesselring, who has gone from being traded in March 2023 by Edmonton to Arizona and then making the move to Utah as a new NHL franchise last summer. 'It makes it even more of a reason I want to succeed here,' he added. 'You want to be one of those guys that's part of the solution.' The two newcomers — and roommates last season — represent the latest roster makeover for a Sabres team in the midst of an NHL-record 14-season playoff drought. They were acquired in a trade that sent promising forward and two-time 25-goal-scorer JJ Peterka to Utah. 'We needed some scoring and we felt that could be answered with JJ who's not only a goal-scorer but somebody in the same age range as most of the players on our team,' Mammoth GM Bill Armstrong said of the 23-year-old Peterka, who was signed to a five-year $38.5 million contract. What Doan and Kesselring lack in offense in having scored 12 career goals each over a combined 218 NHL career games, they make up in bringing a physical style of play to a Sabres team that's been knocked for being soft. In February, Buffalo players faced criticism for failing to step up when Tage Thompson lay hurt on the ice after being bowled over by New Jersey's Stefan Noesen in what was deemed an illegal hit. The Sabres held a team meeting afterward to specifically address their lack of response. At 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, Doan has developed a reputation for being a solid forechecking player, who doesn't shy away from hitting. 'It's the most fun way to play hockey being a little bit of a pest on the ice,' said Doan, the son of longtime Arizona Coyotes star Shane Doan. Kesselring is listed at 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds, and noted for his rugged style and hard shot. 'I'm not the biggest fan of fighting, but I like to think I'm a good teammate. And when it has to happen, it has to happen,' he said. Doan will likely fill a third-line role. Kesselring has the opportunity to use his defensive ability to complement the more offensively oriented Owen Power. Both are familiar with Thompson after playing with him at the world championships in May in helping the U.S. win its first tournament title since 1993. 'That just fueled the fire to play in big games like that,' Kesselring said of competing at the worlds in Sweden. 'It really helped me mature as a player and it helped me realize what it takes to win at this high level.' Kesselring also played with Sabres forward Jason Zucker in Arizona, and was a college teammate of Buffalo goalie Devon Levi at Northeastern. 'I know a lot of guys in that room and I think there's a lot of talent here,' Kesselring said. 'And there's no reason we can't turn it around pretty quick.' ___ AP NHL:
Washington Post
39 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Manchester City beats Juventus 5-2 to win Group G of Club World Cup
ORLANDO, Fla. — Manchester City won Group G of the Club World Cup with a dominant performance on Thursday, beating Juventus 5-2 at Camping World Stadium. Man City went ahead 2-1 on an own goal in the 26th minute when defender Pierre Kalulu, attempting to intercept a pass at close range, sent the ball into the net. The rout was on from there. Erling Haaland, Phil Foden and Savinho scored in the second half to make it 5-1. Haaland's goal was the 300th of his career. Man City midfielder Rodri, last year's Ballon d'Or winner, made his first start since he had knee ligament surgery in September. He left for a substitute in the 66th minute. Jeremy Doku opened the scoring for Man City in the ninth minute, and Teun Koopmeiners equalized two minutes later. Dusan Vlahovic scored in the 84th minute for the Italian club, which finished second in the group. Juventus showed some late life when Vlahovic brought the ball into close range and found the back of the net. Manchester City will face the Group H runner-up on June 30 at Orlando. Juventus will take on the Group H winner on July 1 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. 'Manchester City are a very high-level team. It's very difficulty to play against them. Today we struggled and we have to accept that.' — Juventos coach Igor Tudor. 'I'm really pleased. ... We are going to try to maintain this rhythm for as long as possible.' — Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola. ___ AP soccer:
Associated Press
42 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Barry Bonds will be getting a statue outside the Giants' ballpark, team CEO says
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Barry Bonds will be getting a statue outside the San Francisco Giants' home stadium where he set baseball's career home run record, the team's CEO said Thursday. Giants President and Chief Executive Officer Larry Baer was asked during a radio interview about a statue for Bonds, and he responded that it was 'on the radar.' But Baer didn't have any details of when that would happen. 'Barry is certainly deserving of a statue, and I would say should be next up,' Baer said during an appearance on San Francisco's 95.7 The Game. 'We don't have the exact location and the exact date and the exact timing. ... It's coming. All I can say is it's coming.' Bonds played for San Francisco the last 15 of his 22 big league seasons, hitting 586 of his 762 homers while with the Giants from 1993-2007. He set the single-season MLB record with 73 homers in 2001, and hit his record-breaking 756th homer to pass Hank Aaron in a home game off Washington's Mike Bacsik on Aug. 7, 2007. There are currently five statues outside Oracle Park, those of Hall of Famers Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Juan Marichal, Gaylord Perry and Orlando Cepeda. The Giants retired Bonds' No. 25 jersey in 2018. Bonds, a seven-time MVP and 14-time All-Star, is not in the Hall of Fame. He failed to reach the 75% threshold required during his 10 years on the Baseball Writers Association of America's Hall of Fame ballot, mostly because of steroids allegations that dogged him during his final years with the Giants. The Contemporary Player Committee also passed on electing Bonds in 2022, though the committee could reconsider Bonds' status. ___ AP MLB:
