WASHINGTON (TNND) — A woman is being criticized online after she allegedly took a home run ball from a boy and a man during a Major League Baseball game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Miami Marlins.
Video circulating on social media shows the moment the ball lands in the stands near the woman’s seat, with the man scooping up the ball.
The man walks over to the child — who is potentially his son — and hands the child the ball. The boy puts the ball in his glove and the two embrace.
The woman quickly approaches them, placing her hand on the man’s arm. The man looks shocked as the woman appears to yell at him.
After about 20 seconds, the man turns to the child and retrieves the ball from his mitt. He then hands the ball to the woman before she walks away.
TMZ reported that the incident occurred Friday night at the Marlins’ LoanDepot Park after Phillies outfielder Harrison Bader hit a home run. Other media outlets claimed it went down just a few days before the boy’s birthday.
The incident sparked widespread outrage online, with internet sleuths saying the woman should be held accountable.
Several people called her “a Karen,” saying she “made a spectacle of herself,” while others demanded she be identified.
One X account said the woman’s “reaction of chasing him down and taking it from a child also falls on the rude side,” adding that she could have handled it differently.
If I was the woman, I would have said something to the father, without causing a scene, and let the kid keep the ball. This way you still make your point without causing a viral moment, and you allow the child to have the ball,” according to the post.
The poster also seemed to defend the woman, noting that the man didn’t follow “baseball etiquette” because he didn’t stay in his seat.
Leaping across multiple seats and into someone else’s personal space crosses that social boundary,” according to the post. “The [man] jumped over roughly 10 seats, ending up directly in the woman’s area. By doing so, he invaded her space and effectively blocked her chance to catch the ball. Even though he physically secured the ball first, from an etiquette standpoint, this seems rude.”
After all the drama, the boy went home with a few gifts.
Video shows a Marlins staff member approaching the boy in the stands and giving him an assortment of merchandise.
“We brought you a cool little goodie bag,” the staffer tells the child. She also apologized, asked him if he was OK, and wished him a happy birthday.
Plus, Bader gave him a signed bat, with the Phillies sharing images on social media.
Going home with a signed bat from Bader,” the team wrote in an X post.
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