Phillies Fan Causes Uproar After Demanding Home Run Ball from Father and Son
NEED TO KNOW
- After Phillies center fielder Harrison Bader hit a home run on Sept. 5, a man secured the ball and gave it to a young boy
- A woman who had attempted to get the same ball then approached the man, yelling that he “took it from” her
- The boy did not get to keep the home run ball, but did get to meet Bader, who autographed a baseball bat for him
After a young baseball fan’s special moment turned sour, his favorite team went above and beyond to make it up to him.
As the Philadelphia Phillies worked to secure a win over the Miami Marlins on Friday, Sept. 5, Harrison Bader hit a home run, leading to some commotion at Miami’s LoanDepot Park, as captured by NBC Sports Philadelphia. After several Phillies fans attempted to grab the home-run ball, one fan secured it before walking back to his spot several seats over to give it to a young boy, dropping it in his glove and giving him a big hug.
But the young fan didn’t have the ball for long.
Almost immediately after the man had the baseball, another fan — who, seconds earlier, had attempted to grab the same left-field homer — followed him back to his seat, where she grabbed his arm and appeared to berate him, the viral footage shows. Fan-captured videos also offer a closer look, and reveal some of what was said between the two attendees.
“That was ours!” the upset Phillies fan told the man, according to behind-the-scenes footage of the altercation captured by an attendee a few seats away. “No, you took it from me!” she then told the man. “You took it from me! That was in my hands.”
After a few seconds of arguing, the man gave in to the upset fan, reaching into the boy’s glove for the baseball and giving it to her. “Fine,” he said, according to the fan-captured clip. “Fine!” she replied.
While sharing the clip on X, the attendee dubbed the woman a “Krazy Karen.” Other fans at the Phillies-Marlins game appeared to agree, chanting “Karen” at the upset fan after she approached the man and young boy to ask for the ball.
Philadelphia Phillies/X
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.
After the scene unfolded — and left the boy without a home-run prize — an employee at the stadium brought the young fan a gift bag, NBC Sports’ footage shows. “I’m so sorry. You okay?” the employee asked in footage captured by another nearby fan, and shared on X.
The gesture also led to a raucous round of applause from fans in the stands around the boy — but the team’s generosity didn’t stop there. The boy was not only reimbursed for the lost ball with a goodie bag, he also got to meet Bader, 31, himself.
Philadelphia Phillies/X
After the game, the Phillies center fielder took the time to meet the young fan, according to photos shared by the baseball team on X. The player also sent the fan away from the Phillies’ victory with something a little bigger than a baseball.
“Going home with a signed bat from Bader,” the team said on X.
Credit to Nypost AND Peoples