As we all remember from A League of Their Own, “There’s no crying in baseball” — but apparently, there are still arguments. A September 5, 2025, game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Miami Marlins has made headlines over a heated interaction between fans. A woman took a baseball from a man who gave it to a child, and the internet is calling her “Phillies Karen.” So, who exactly is the lady who stirred up the controversy?
Below, we’re breaking down what we know so far about “Phillies Karen.”
Why Is a Phillies Fan Being Called a Karen?
Nobody likes a mean Karen, and that’s exactly what happened at the September 5 Phillies-Marlins game. The situation unfolded after the Phillies’ Harrison Bader hit a home run to left field, and, as always, fans in the stands scrambled to grab the ball. One woman wearing a Phillies jersey was seen about to grab the ball after it hit the floor of the seats, but a man wearing a red jersey quickly snagged it and walked back to give it to a young boy, likely his child.
After hugging the kiddo and giving him the ball, the woman aggressively approached the adult and grabbed his arm. Appearing to berate him over the ball, the woman seemingly was heard yelling, “That was ours! … No, you took it from me! You took it from me! That was in my hands.”
Just seconds into the argument, the man gave her the ball, appearing to reply, “Fine!” and she walked back to her seat.
Is the Woman Who Took the Ball From the Kid Named Karen?
It’s unclear what the woman’s actual name is, but the internet quickly dubbed her a “Karen” to diss her behavior at the Phillies vs. Marlins game.
Who Is the Phillies Karen? What We Know So Far
At the time of publication, the woman’s identity is still unclear, and no other information about her has been made public. She has not publicly commented on the matter either.
Is the Phillies Karen Cheryl Richardson-Wagner?
No, despite social media sleuths’ claims, the woman in question is not named Cheryl Richardson-Wagner. Internet users pointed to similarities between this woman and the controversial Phillies fan. Cheryl denied the accusations in an online post, denying that she was even a Phillies fan.
“OK everyone … I’m NOT the crazy Philly Mom (but I sure would love to be as thin as she is and as fast),” Cheryl wrote.
Was the Phillies Karen Fired From a School District?
No, this rumor is also untrue. Rumors swirled about the “Phillies Karen” and her employment, as some social media users believed she once worked for the Hammonton Public School District in New Jersey. However, the school denied that this woman ever worked for them.
“Anyone who works for our school district, attended as a student or lives in our community would obviously have caught the ball bare-handed in the first place, avoiding this entire situation,” the district noted in a statement, according to Breaking Atlantic County and The Independent. The statement added that the woman “is not, and has never been an employee of the Hammonton Public Schools” and concluded, “Social media and news reports indicating that she is, are incorrect,”
Has the Man With the Young Phillies Fan Spoken Out About the Woman?
Yes, Drew Feltwell — who is the boy’s father — commented on the incident during a subsequent interview with NBC News. He recalled, “I was already ecstatic, like got Bader’s home run ball, and I get to put it in my son’s glove and that was, it was already enough. You know, and then, then here she comes.”
“Something touched my arm, and then she just screamed in my ear, ‘That’s my ball,’ like, so loud,” Feltwell said, before explaining his decision to give up the ball. “There was kind of a fork in the road, like, I’m gonna go one direction and then probably regret,” he continued.. “Or go this direction and do something in front of my kids that, you know, like a teaching moment.”
During a separate interview with USA Today Sports, Feltwell discouraged anyone from trying to find the woman’s identity.
“Please don’t do anything to that lady,’’ he said on September 8. “Leave it alone. You know, somebody knows her and can talk to her, that’s different. But God, I don’t want people breaking in their house and stuff like that. The internet already messed her up pretty good.”
What Did the Phillies Do for the Young Fan Who Lost the Home Run Ball?
This was amazing pic.twitter.com/7sMxJWUm4n
— The Immortal (@TheImmortal007) September 6, 2025
It turns out both the Phillies and the Marlins made the young fan’s day. A staffer from LoanDepot Park approached the family after the heated altercation and offered the boy a gift bag. According to a nearby fan’s footage from the aftermath, the staff member asked the boy if he was OK after giving him a large bag of baseball merchandise.
Going home with a signed bat from Bader pic.twitter.com/pCaXHSjLgL
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) September 6, 2025
But that wasn’t all! Following the game, Harrison took a moment to sign a baseball bat for the young fan, as seen on the team’s social media account.