Young Phillies Fan Loses Home Run Ball to Woman at Game

A young fan’s excitement turned into disappointment during a recent Philadelphia Phillies game when he lost a home run ball to a woman who insisted it belonged to her. On March 15, 2024, at the Citizens Bank Park, 9-year-old Lincoln Feltwell and his father, Drew Feltwell, found themselves in a confrontation with a woman now referred to as “Phillies Karen.”

The incident unfolded after Drew Feltwell successfully caught a home run ball hit by Harrison Bader before Lincoln’s upcoming 10th birthday. As they celebrated their good fortune, a woman aggressively insisted that the ball belonged to her, pressuring Drew Feltwell to relinquish it.

In an interview with NBC 10 Philadelphia, Lincoln expressed his disappointment, stating, “I wasn’t very happy that we had to give it to her, but we can’t win. She was going to get it anyways.”

After the game, Lincoln received a special surprise. He met Harrison Bader, who offered him a bat as a replacement for the lost ball. Lincoln described the encounter, saying, “I’m happy I got to get something else. It was very, very fun getting to meet Bader.”

Father’s Perspective and Online Backlash

In the aftermath of the incident, Drew Feltwell addressed criticism directed at him for not standing his ground against the woman. He noted that his primary goal was to avoid confrontation, stating, “I just wanted her to go away.” He added that he did not wish for the incident to “ruin” her life and held no animosity toward her.

Despite his desire to defuse the situation, Drew Feltwell admitted feeling remorse for denying his son the joy of keeping the ball. The incident quickly gained traction on social media, with many users expressing outrage at the woman’s behavior. Clips of the confrontation went viral, leading to widespread discussion online.

The woman identified in the video was incorrectly named as Cheryl Richardson-Wagner, which resulted in a barrage of messages flooding her social media accounts. In response, she clarified that she was not the individual involved in the confrontation and expressed her frustration over the misidentification.

Community Support and Sportsmanship

In a show of good sportsmanship, the Miami Marlins reached out to the Feltwell family, providing them with a gift bag as a gesture of goodwill following the incident. This act of kindness highlights the sense of community often seen in sports, even amid conflicts like this one.

The altercation at the Phillies game reflects a growing trend of fan disputes in American sports. Similar incidents have occurred recently, including a notable episode at the US Open where a man took a tennis hat meant for a young boy and another case involving two fans fighting over a ball at a New York Mets game.

As the story continues to unfold, it serves as a reminder of the passionate emotions that sports can evoke, both positive and negative. For young fans like Lincoln Feltwell, the experience may have been disheartening, but it also provided an unforgettable encounter with a professional athlete and a lesson in sportsmanship.