What Happened to MLB Star Ketel Marte’s Mother? Inside the Tragic Incident
Ketel made his Major League Baseball debut in 2015 when he joined the Seattle Mariners.
Published June 26 2025, 11:29 a.m. ET
In the world of sports, fans are known for being extremely passionate in a variety of ways. However, sometimes that passion can translate into being mean-spirited and disrespectful, which is what happened to Arizona Diamondbacks star Ketel Marte when a fan crossed the line, mentioning his mother.
Ketel made his Major League Baseball debut in 2015 when he joined the Seattle Mariners, two years later he officially signed to the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2017. What happened to his mother, and what did the heckler say?
What happened to Ketel Marte’s mother?
In July 2017, Ketel Marte’s mother, Elpidia Valdez, tragically died in a car crash in the Dominican Republic shortly after Ketel had spoken to her by phone earlier in the day, according to the MLB.
Following his mother’s passing, Ketel was formally placed on the bereavement list. “We are deeply saddened by the news we received last night regarding Ketel's mother," Diamondbacks president and CEO Derrick Hall said in a statement at the time, per the outlet.
"We consider every member of our organization part of our immediate family, and our thoughts and prayers are with Ketel as he deals with this unimaginable tragedy," his statement continued.
What happened to Ketel in June 2025 involving his late mother?
On Tuesday, June 24, while playing against the Chicago White Sox, a White Sox fan disrespectfully taunted Ketel by mentioning his late mother, which ultimately brought him to tears on the baseball field, according to The Arizona Republic. The incident occurred while Ketel was at bat in the top of the seventh inning of the game.
The exact words that the fan said are currently unknown, but it was clearly hurtful enough to cause Ketel to cry during the game. His fellow Diamondback teammates immediately came to his aid and comforted him following the exchange.
"I looked right at (Marte) when I heard," Diamondback manager Tommy Lovullo said. "I looked right at him. ... He put his head down and I could tell it had an immediate impact on him, for sure."
"(I told him), ‘I love you and I’m with you and we’re all together and you’re not alone,” he continued. “No matter what happens, no matter what was said or what you heard, that guy is an idiot. It shouldn’t have an impact on you.’"
What happened to the fan that taunted Ketel?
According to ESPN, Torey Lovullo, manager of the Diamondbacks, reportedly heard the fan’s comment to Ketel and asked that he be immediately ejected from the game. Following his removal, the fan was said to be remorseful and admitted to what he said about Ketel’s mother.
"We commend the White Sox for taking immediate action in removing the fan," said MLB in a statement. However, per ESPN, that was only the first step in taking action against the fan, as a source told the outlet that he has been banned for life from all MLB ballparks.
Has Ketel addressed what the fan said?
As of now, Ketel has not publicly addressed the incident, but his teammate Geraldo Perdomo did, per The Arizona Republic.
“That can’t happen. Everybody knows how Ketel is. He’s fun. He plays the game hard. I feel bad for him. I feel mad about it. I hope MLB can do something with that guy. I don’t know who it was, but they’ve got to do something. We can’t continue to do that (expletive) here in MLB.”
“He should be banned, for sure,” Geraldo added.