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MLB Player Reduced to Tears After Disrespectful Act by Fan on Tuesday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Rex Villas | Last updated Jun 25, 2025 7:31 AM ET

Sometimes, fans forget that baseball players, or professional athletes for that matter, have feelings too. An ugly example of that happened Tuesday night during a game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field in Chicago.

During a pitching switch in the bottom of the seventh frame, Arizona manager Torey Lovullo was seen seemingly comforting second baseman Ketel Marte, who was in tears.

It wasn't clear at the time what caused Marte's emotion to show, but after the game, Lovullo revealed that it was because of what a fan yelled at the infielder, which was something about Marte's mother, who passed away in 2017 after a car accident.

Sending love to Ketel Marte who was in tears on the field after a fan yelled something at him about his mother, who passed away in a car accident in 2017, per @CDrottar19 pic.twitter.com/I14Zc1gkV1
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) June 25, 2025

“I looked right at him when I heard,” Lovullo said (via Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic). “I looked right at him and he looked at the person, as well. He put his head down and I could tell it had an immediate impact on him, for sure.”

Lovullo knew he had to be more than just a manager for Marte during that moment.

“I just reacted as a dad would when I went out to change pitchers,” Lovullo shared. “I could see he was sobbing. It hurt.

Marte and the Diamondbacks got the last laugh, though, as they scored a 4-1 win, their second in a row. Marte put Arizona ahead early with a solo 401-foot home run in the first inning and finished 2-for-4.

Arizona, which improved to 41-38, will look to complete a three-game sweep of the White Sox this Wednesday before flying back home for a three-leg set versus the Miami Marlins.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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