White Sox Ban Fan After Emotional Taunt Reduces Ketel Marte to Tears

The Chicago White Sox have taken decisive action against a fan who taunted Arizona Diamondbacks player Ketel Marte, leading to an emotional scene on the field. The incident occurred during a game when a spectator yelled a derogatory remark regarding Marte's late mother, Elpidia Valdez, who tragically passed away in a car accident in the Dominican Republic in 2017.

Marte was visibly shaken and in tears during a pitching change at the bottom of the seventh inning. His manager, Torey Lovullo, was seen comforting him, placing an arm around his shoulder as he processed the hurtful comment.

In response to the incident, Lovullo and bench coach Jeff Banister requested that the fan be removed from the game. The White Sox confirmed on Wednesday that the individual was ejected and has received an indefinite ban from attending future games.

While Marte chose not to comment on the situation through a team representative, Diamondbacks shortstop Geraldo Perdomo expressed strong disapproval of the fan's actions. "That fan should be banned, for sure," he stated, urging Major League Baseball to take action against such behavior.

"That can't happen," Perdomo emphasized. "We can't continue to do that ... here in MLB."

Although the fan's identity remains undisclosed, White Sox manager Will Venable addressed the incident during a media session on Wednesday morning. "No player should ever have to be subjected to that kind of stuff from fans," he remarked. "That's not reflective of anything that I've seen from these White Sox fans. They've been extremely positive and supportive, and for Ketel to have to experience that is extremely disappointing." He extended apologies on behalf of the team, reiterating that such behavior does not represent their fan base.

When asked about the team's stance on fan conduct, Venable firmly stated, "Anybody who is engaged in that kind of stuff is not going to be welcome."

The White Sox and Diamondbacks are set to face off again at The Rate on Wednesday afternoon at 1:10 p.m. CT, marking the second game in their two-game series.