After a screaming woman went viral for demanding that a dad give her the foul ball he’d just grabbed for his son, the internet dubbed her “Phillies Karen.”
HOUSTON — It’s a common sight in all Major League ballparks: fans diving for home runs or foul balls launched into the stands. Finders keepers, losers weepers, right? But that’s not what happened in Miami last month in an incident that blew up the internet.
It started when the Phillies’ Harrison Bader sent a foul ball into the left field stands in a game against the Marlins on Sept. 5. Drew Feltway came up with the ball and handed it to his son Lincoln as a special 10th birthday present. Feltway later told a Philadelphia TV station that he “felt like a ‘super dad’ putting that ball in his glove and giving him a hug.”
But the sweet father/son moment didn’t last long. A woman in Phillies garb was caught on video storming over, grabbing Feltway’s arm, yelling at him, and demanding that he give her the ball. Feltway finally handed it over to “de-escalate” the situation.
The video went viral, and the woman dubbed “Phillies Karen” became a favorite target of memes and even a popular choice for Halloween costumes.
pic.twitter.com/iCNTikIgIb Okay this is the best Phillies Karen meme hands down! Gotta love AI
— GrrrGraphics-Ben Garrison 🤠 Cartoons 🇺🇸 (@GrrrGraphics) September 7, 2025
Survey: Would you snatch a ball from a kid?
The incident prompted The Grueling Truth to survey 2,000 MLB fans nationwide to find out which teams have the most potential “Karens” lurking in the stands.
“If a foul ball was coming your way and a kid was reaching for it too — would you go for it?” the survey asked.
Over 1 in 5 U.S. baseball fans admit they’d go for the ball, even if a kid was reaching for it, too.3% of those fans said they’d actually try even harder to snag the ball if the kid was rooting for the other team.1 in 6, or 16%, of Astros fans admitted they’d go for the ball, the fifth-lowest percentage.Athletics fans have the highest share of “Karens”: 36% say they’d give it their all to snag that ball.Pittsburgh Pirates fans are the chillest — only 10% admit they’d fight for a foul ball.
Men turn out to be more eager than women when it comes to catching a foul ball. On average, 27% of men say they’d go for the ball without hesitation, compared to 15% of women.
For what it’s worth, some of the Astros’ biggest rivals, the Dodgers, Yankees and Red Sox, are much higher up on the naughty list. Rangers fans are ALMOST as nice as Astros fans, according to the survey, but not quite.
By the way, “Phillies Karen” may have actually done little Lincoln a favor. The Marlins gifted the 10-year-old a swag bag, and he got to meet Bader, who presented him with a signed bat.
Remember that KAREN who made a spectacle of herself over a home run baseball? Well, in the end this young man made out like a bandit thanks to the @Phillies 🥰♥️🤍💙🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/Wj5QJIDsE2
— 🌹SFG10🌹 (@SFG169) September 6, 2025