In the seventh inning of Arizona’s win over the White Sox, second baseman Ketel Marte was seen sobbing. It happened after a fan made comments about his late mother.
CHICAGO — Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte was seen sobbing on the broadcast of Tuesday’s win over the Chicago White Sox during a pitching change in the seventh inning.
The incident happened after a fan made comments to Marte about his mother, who was killed in a car crash in 2017, the Diamondbacks confirmed to 12News. The fan was ejected from the game.
The nature of what made Marte emotional was first reported by MLB’s Casey Drottar.
“It was a terrible moment,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo, who was visibly emotional, said. “Fans are nasty, and fans go too far sometimes. And I love my players, and I’m going to protect them.”
Lovullo has known Marte for almost a decade. The two have built a close relationship as Lovullo has overseen Marte’s growth from a young, budding star into a bona fide All-Star and one of the key members of the D-backs’ roster.
“I’ve known Ketel for nine years, and he’s had some unbelievable, unbelievably great moments and some hardships, as well, and some really, really tough moments in his life,” Lovullo said. “And I know those. And at the end of the day, we’re human beings and we have emotions, and I saw him hurting and I wanted to protect him.”
Lovullo was seen on the broadcast hugging Marte at the pitching mound as Marte sobbed. He also detailed what he said to Marte to help comfort him in the tough moments on the field.
“I love you and I’m with you and we’re all together,” Lovullo said. “And you’re not alone, and no matter what happens, no matter what was said or what you heard, that guy’s an idiot and shouldn’t have an impact on you.”
After the seventh inning ended, Marte retreated to a corner of the dugout and put a towel over his head and even walked down the tunnel toward the team’s clubhouse. He later returned to the game and helped the D-backs seal the 4-1 victory.
This moment happened as the team learned that infielder Ildemaro Vargas, who was hit by a pitch earlier in the game, had broken his foot, the latest in a litany of injuries this team has seen over the last few weeks. Lovullo said he is very proud of how his team has responded to all of the adversity they have faced.
“I’ve been saying that now for the past 10 days, right, we’ve taken on a lot of water, and the ship is not sinking. The ship is still sailing, and they’re responsible for that,” Lovullo said. “I’ve just got to keep it on its course and create a vision that we’re going to find our way out of this, and the guys believe that and they go out there every single day and give me everything they have. And those things that normally can bring you down only make you stronger, and I feel very good about where this team is going, and we’re unifying. It’s tough every single day to go out there and watch one of your team members go down. You never get used to it, and, for some reason, this is happening at an unbelievable clip. But we’ll get through it.”
The D-backs will be back on the diamond at Rate Field in Chicago on Thursday morning as they look to sweep the White Sox. First pitch will be at 11:10 a.m. Arizona time.
Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to four major professional sports league teams; The NFL’s Arizona Cardinals, NBA’s Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and MLB’s Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale.
Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL’s Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events every year, including college football’s Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.
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