The Philadelphia Phillies invited a young fan to meet Harrison Bader following their 9-3 win over the Miami Marlins on Friday night after an apparent dispute over a home run ball hit by the center fielder during the game.
Bader hit a solo home run into the left field stands in the fourth inning at loanDepot Park. Several fans scrambled for the ball before a man came up with it and walked over and gave it to the boy and hugged him. Both were wearing Phillies gear.
Moments later, a woman, also wearing Philadelphia apparel, approached and appeared to shout at the man, who then grabbed the ball from the boy and gave it to her.
The Phillies Postgame Live crew dissects the viral moment where someone took Harrison Bader’s home run ball from a family.
It isn’t clear from videos circulating on social media who initially secured the ball when it landed.
Later in the game, a member of the Marlins’ staff was seen giving the boy a prize pack, and he ended up going home with a signed bat from Bader, who met with him outside of the Phillies’ clubhouse after the game.
The bizarre scene quickly went viral on social media and comes just days after another viral memorabilia-snatching moment in which a man took tennis player Kamil Majchrzak’s hat from a young fan at the U.S. Open and was widely criticized for the act.
He apologized on social media on Monday and said he has returned it.
Since the incident, many people have speculated who the woman involved in the incident is with rumors circulating that she worked at a New Jersey school district. Saturday afternoon, a spokesperson for the Hammonton School District shared a statement on Facebook, refuting a rumor that the woman worked in their public school system.
Man in viral video speaks out
The Philadelphia Phillies invited a young fan to meet Harrison Bader following their 9-3 win over the Miami Marlins on Friday night after an apparent dispute over a home run ball hit by the center fielder during the game. The boy’s father spoke with NBC10’s Neil Fischer in an exclusive interview.
NBC10 caught up with the man in the viral video, Drew Feltwell, who was the Phillies fan who scrambled to grab the home run ball for his son, Lincoln.
Feltwell shares that he grew up in Burlington County, New Jersey, but now lives in West Palm Beach, Florida, with his family.
According to Feltwell, he was attending the game with his wife, daughter, and Lincoln for his son’s upcoming 10th birthday.
“We’re just trying to make this week about him,” said Feltwell.
Feltwell shared that he was hoping to give that home run ball to Lincoln and get them on TV.
“I felt like super dad putting that ball in his glove and giving him a hug,” Feltwell said.
As seen in the video, once Feltwell handed Lincoln the ball, an unknown woman came up and shouted at them. That’s when he could be seen giving the ball back.
Feltwell said that the woman was screaming six inches from his ear, “That’s my ball!” and it made him jump.
“Still in disbelief that she walked down there like that,” said Feltwell.
Feltwell added, “Just trying to set an example of how to de-escalate a situation in front of my son, I guess.”
Feltwell explained that he apologized to his son for giving the woman the ball. He shared that the woman was eventually booed out of the stadium, leaving five minutes after she took the ball.
After it happened, Feltwell said a representative of the Phillies sat with the family to invite them to meet with the players. He noted that the Marlins staff was also “super,” giving his son a goodie bag.
“I wish I had the ball for my son to put in his room next to the bat, but if I had the ball, I probably wouldn’t have gotten the bat, so it worked out fine,” said Feltwell.
Feltwell said Harrison Bader was a class act. Bader spoke with Lincoln, signed the bat and took pictures with everyone.
“We ended up having a good night because of good people,” said Feltwell.
Feltwell expressed that he partially regrets giving the ball to the woman because of what it meant to his son, “Putting the ball in his glove and then taking it back out killed me.”
He adds that if the woman came forward and offered the ball, we would respect it: “I hope that ball means a lot to her.”
Feltwell said they’re going to get a bat display for Lincoln’s wall to put Bader’s bat on the wall.
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