Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo had a vulgar message for the fan who was ejected for heckling infielder Ketel Marte on Tuesday night.
Marte was in tears and had to be consoled by Lovullo and others during a pitching change late in Tuesday’s game between the Diamondbacks and Chicago White Sox at Rate Field in Chicago, Ill. After the game, which Arizona won 4-1, Lovullo told reporters that a fan had yelled something about Marte’s late mother.
It appears the fan was seated behind the visiting dugout. Before the fan was escorted from the stadium, Lovullo pointed at him and called him a “small-minded dumb f–.” You can see the video here.
Marte’s mother, Elpidia Valdez, died in a car crash in the Dominican Republic in July 2017. The two-time All-Star Marte had to take a brief leave of absence from the D-Backs at the time to return to the Dominican Republic.
While the exact nature of the comment is unknown, the fan reportedly admitted to saying something to Marte and said he was “remorseful” over the situation. The fan has since received a severe punishment from not only the White Sox but Major League Baseball.
Marte is having another excellent season with Arizona. The second baseman entered Thursday batting .313 with 15 home runs, 32 RBI and a 1.012 OPS.
The situation with Marte on Tuesday was similar to what happened between Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran and a fan earlier this season.
