The Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Miami Marlins 9-3 on Friday night, helping the former club build its lead atop the NL East as it heads into the stretch run of the 2025 MLB season.
The implications of the victory aren’t the biggest talking point revolving around the game, though. What’s grabbing headlines instead is a viral incident that took place between a small group of fans in the left-field stands at loanDepot Park.
While internet sleuths are attempting to reveal the perpetrator’s identity, Drew Feltwell, another fan at the center of the incident, shared his side of the story.
Father, son break silence after viral confrontation with ‘Phillies Karen’
In the fourth inning of Friday’s game, Phillies outfielder Harrison Bader launched a solo home run over the left-field fence to give his team a 5-1 lead.
Numerous fans flocked towards the ball in an attempt to grab it, and a man wearing a red Phillies shirt — Feltwell — ultimately took possession of the ball before handing it to his son, Lincoln.
“I’m moving to my right, and I went down to where it was going to land. It went into an empty seat and did a quick bobble and settled. And as it settled, I grabbed it,” Drew said in a television interview with NBC. “When I went to pull away, other hands came in, but I had already turned around and headed towards [Lincoln].”
One of those hands belonged to a woman who has since been dubbed online as “Phillies Karen” since her identity is currently unknown. She walked over to Drew and demanded he give the ball to her after he had already placed it in Lincoln’s glove.
“I gave [Lincoln] a hug because I was so happy. And something touched my arm, and then she screamed, ‘That’s my ball.’ I was like, ‘Wow. Why are you here? Who are you?'” Drew said.
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
Drew resolved the situation by plucking the ball away from Lincoln and handing it over to her. During the interview, Drew shared what was going through his mind as he made the decision to do so.
“I’m going to go one direction and probably regret [it], or go in this direction and do something in front of my kids [that’s] a teaching moment to de-escalate the situation. I even said to them, ‘Look, this lady needs this ball more than we do.’ And [Lincoln] didn’t resist. I took the ball, gave it to her,” Drew said. “The fact that she turned and walked away, I was winning in that moment because I just didn’t want her around my family anymore.
Lincoln also shared his perspective on the incident.
“I wasn’t very happy that she had to get the ball, but it all worked at the end,” Lincoln said.
The unfortunate situation would work out in a big way for Lincoln and his family.
The Marlins organization quickly caught wind of the incident, and a staffer gave him a gift bag as an apology — and also a birthday present, as Lincoln was celebrating his special day that night.
The Phillies also chipped in to make the night one to remember, allowing Lincoln to meet Bader after the game was over.
Going home with a signed bat from Bader pic.twitter.com/pCaXHSjLgL
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) September 6, 2025
Those gestures turned what could have been a horrible game-day experience into a series of lifelong memories for Lincoln.
“I’m really, really happy that I got to meet Bader. We got to take a picture with him,” Lincoln said. “I’ve never been that happy to see someone before.”
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