White Sox fan banned after heckling D-Backs' Marte to tears

Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte broke down into tears Tuesday after a fan's heckling got overly personal at Rate Field against the Chicago White Sox.

Marte was upset and had to be consoled by teammates and manager Torey Lovullo during a seventh-inning pitching change after a fan yelled derogatory comments about his mother, according to AZ Central's Nick Piecoro. Marte's mother died in a car accident in the Dominican Republic in 2017.

The White Sox banned the 22-year-old fan indefinitely from Rate Field. The fan was remorseful for his actions, a source told ESPN's Jesse Rogers.

Chicago showed a message on its video board before Marte's first at-bat in Wednesday's game.

"That can't happen," teammate Geraldo Perdomo said of the heckling.

"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."

Lovullo told Piecoro the comments were directed toward Marte during a seventh-inning at-bat. The D-Backs requested the fan be removed, and the person was subsequently ejected.

"(I told him), 'I love you and I'm with you and we're all together and you're not alone. 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,'" Lovullo said.

The Diamondbacks play the finale of a three-game set against the White Sox on Wednesday.