Arizona’s victory over the host Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night was marred by a fan yelling derogatory comments about Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte’s deceased mother.
Marte was visibly upset and in tears while on the field in the seventh inning following the incident during his at-bat to end the top of the frame.
Diamondbacks manager Torey Luvollo put his arm around Marte and talked with him during a pitching change while the White Sox were batting.
Lovullo said he heard what the fan said but declined after the game to repeat it.
“I looked right at (Marte) when I heard,” Lovullo said. “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.”
“I just reacted as a dad would when I went out to change pitchers,” Lovullo added. “I could see he was sobbing. It hurt.”
“(I told him), ‘I love you and I’m with you and we’re all together and you’re not alone. No matter what happens, no matter what was said or what you heard, that guy is an idiot. It shouldn’t have an impact on you.’ ”
Lovullo and bench coach Jeff Banister contacted security at Rate Field and requested the man be ejected, a Diamondbacks spokesperson told the Arizona Republic.
Marte’s mother, Elpidia Valdez, died in a car accident in 2017 in the Dominican Republic. Marte declined to comment after the 4-1 victory, during which he homered and went 2-for-4 to raise his batting average to .320.
His teammate, shortstop Geraldo Perdomo, also consoled Marte during the pitching change. Perdomo was angry about the incident, as he told reporters afterward.
“That can’t happen, “Perdomo said. “Everybody knows how Ketel is. He’s fun. He plays the game hard. I feel bad for him. I feel mad about it. I hope MLB can do something with that guy. I don’t know who it was, but they’ve got to do something. We can’t continue to do that (expletive) here in MLB.”
“He should be banned, for sure,” Perdomo added.
Lovullo called the incident “a terrible moment” and feels he needs to support his players like he’s their father.
“Fans are nasty, and fans go too far,” he said. “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.”
–Field Level Media
