Ketel Marte Reveals What Chicago White Sox Fan Said About His Late Mother

A Chicago White Sox fan was banned indefinitely from all ballparks after a comment directed at Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte during Tuesday's game.

Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte (4) throws to first base against the Seattle Mariners at Chase Field. | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte spoke publicly for the first time about a comment made by a Chicago White Sox fan regarding his late mother during Tuesday's game at Rate Field.

Marte broke down in tears on the field, leading to Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo and teammates consoling Marte during a break in action. Lovullo asked for the fan to be ejected during the game, and it was later reported that the fan has been banned indefinitely from all ballparks, according to ESPN's Jesse Rogers.

During Wednesday's game, the White Sox displayed a message on the Rate Field video board that read, "Baseball is family. The White Sox community supports Ketel Marte." White Sox manager Will Venable and infielder Josh Rojas, who was teammates with Marte in Arizona, spoke out against the fan before Wednesday's game.

Marte shared his perspective on what occurred in a video posted by @dannybeisbol on Instagram.

"I want to thank all the fans who have been concerned about me," Marte said. "What happened was in the seventh inning, I came to bat, I'm ready at the plate. I hear this fan shouting, he was on top of the dugout. He yelled at me, saying stuff about my mom. He was like, 'I sent your mom a text last night.' When everything happened with my mom, I was here in Chicago. I was in this city. My manager had my back. They kicked the fan out, I don't think he'll be allowed back in the parks."

"Yes, I think something needs to be done about the fans, it's getting out of hand. People always yell stuff at me, but never about my mom. People know that my mom passed away in an accident. But anyways, we're praying for [the fan] and his family too, you know. May God protect them and help him heal his heart. They're always yelling things at me, but I don't mind. But when it comes to my mom, that's where the line gets crossed."

Ketel Marte says the fan yelled “I sent your mom a text last night”

Marte said it crosses the line when a fan speaks about his late mother, especially in Chicago because that’s where he was when she passed in 2017 pic.twitter.com/M9FJ9GuOTU

— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) June 27, 2025

Marte's mother, Elpidia Valdez, died in 2017 in a car accident in the Dominican Republic.

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