Tom Haines
| Bucks County Courier Times
Phillies fans have a nasty reputation, deserved or not, and in Miami Friday night the best and, well, less than best was on display. In the fourth inning, Phillies outfielder Harrison Bader planted a home run into the left field seats and a mild looking skirmish for the ball ensued, mostly among fans wearing Phillies garb. A man in a Phillies shirt emerged with the souvenir and brought it back to his family about 10 seats down the row. He handed the ball to his young son.
What followed next was hard to believe. A white-haired woman in a Phillies hoodie stormed down the row to the family and grabbed the stunned dad by his shoulder and pointed to the ball and the spot of the scuffle, apparently demanding the ball belonged to her.
The father appeared to state his case briefly but then relented and took the ball from his son and handed it to the irate woman. She stormed back to her seat in the row behind, apparently triumphant.
Phillies TV announcer Ruben Amaro was incredulous that the woman insist the ball belonged to her, rhetorically asking “What is her problem?”
On the Marlins broadcast, the announcers remarked about how ‘weird’ the situation was and said that someone from Miami should deliver another ball to the boy.
Soon after a woman who worked for the team came over to speak to the boy.
She said the other fan’s behavior was “not okay” and presented a gift bag to the boy. Inside that bag were a number of other home run balls as well as a jersey and some other collectibles.
According to reports, the person who recorded the video of the Marlins worker delivering the gift bag said that the woman fan, ‘said the ball landed in her seat [and that] it was hers.’
The witness continued: ‘the dad of the year in question simply responded “you have to catch it to be yours” to which a Karen-esque meltdown ensued.’
Replays showed the home run ball initially bounced off “Karen’s” midsection, but she never got a hand on it nor pursued the ball as it caromed down to the row in front of her.
When asked about what happened to the woman fan, the witness said, ‘Lmaoo we boo’d her till her and her completely embarrassed significant other left.’
While the Marlins employee delivered gifts to the family during the game, the Phillies did their part after they grabbed a 9-3 series-opening win by inviting the family to the locker room area. Team president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski and Bader autographed the outfielder’s bat and gifted it to the young boy.