A Philadelphia Phillies fan is facing backlash after a video surfaced online showing them snatching a home run ball away from a young boy during a game.
Why It Matters
The Phillies incident is the latest in a series of unruly fan episodes at U.S. sporting events.
Just last week at the U.S. Open, Polish millionaire Piotr Szczerek was filmed snatching a hat meant for a child from tennis player Kamil Majchrzak, drawing outrage before later apologizing.
Earlier this week, a Mets supporter was caught on broadcast taking a souvenir baseball from an elderly fan during a game against the Marlins.
What To Know
A woman sparked outrage Saturday after berating a father and his young son over a home run ball during the Philadelphia Phillies‘ 9-3 win against the Miami Marlins.
In the fourth inning, Phillies outfielder Harrison Bader hit a solo homer into the second deck in left field. A man wearing a Phillies shirt caught the ball and rushed to hand it to his young son.
But the moment quickly turned sour when a woman confronted the family, accusing them of taking the ball from her. Fan footage shows her demanding the child hand it over, saying, “You took it from me.” The father eventually surrendered the ball as his children looked shaken, leaving the boy visibly upset.
A Phillies fan retrieves a home run ball for his son and this woman is furious she did not get the ball pic.twitter.com/kDMMJrw2R5
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) September 6, 2025
The video went viral on social media, with over 10 million views.
Fans condemned the woman’s behavior. “Insane to me that an adult cares this much. Balls and pucks should always go to the nearest kid. This is the hill I will die on,” one X user said.
Sports journalist Jeff Drummond said on X: “Embarrassing. I’ve yet again failed to go 48 hours without saying “What’s wrong with people?” I feel like that’s a modest goal, but it keeps coming up short.”
Another sports journalist, Harrison Smajovits, wrote on X: “Pro tip for being a decent person: Don’t do this.”
Former Fox News journalist Adam Housley wrote on X: “What is wrong with people? The ball is the boys. Deal with it.”
Both teams later stepped in to make amends. A Marlins staffer gave the boy a bag of team merchandise and baseballs, telling him, “I saw what happened, it wasn’t right,” according to a video posted on X.
After the game, the Phillies arranged for him to receive a signed bat from Bader.
“Going home with a signed bat from Bader,” the Phillies wrote on X.
What Happens Next
The Philadelphia Phillies are set to play the Miami Marlins again on Saturday, September 6.
The post Phillies Fan Sparks Outrage After Taking Home Run Ball From Young Boy appeared first on Newsweek.
