A baseball fan has gone viral for the right reasons after giving a historic home run ball to a young child in the stands, with the internet branding him ‘the anti-Phillies Karen’.
Earlier this month a female Philadelphia Phillies supporter sparked outrage when she was seen bullying a dad into handing over a home run ball he claimed for his son, with footage of the astonishing moment causing a stir online.
Yet a few weeks on from that incident, one heroic Seattle Mariners fan showed the infamous ‘Phillies Karen’ a thing or two about generosity while at his team’s playoff-clinching win over the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday night.
The man in question initially landed a huge stroke of luck when he caught Mariners star Cal Raleigh’s 60th home run ball, which was all the more meaningful given it helped them secure a first playoff berth since 2001.
However, instead of keeping it himself either as a unique memento or to sell for a lucrative price, he opted to give it to a young child sitting nearby.
While footage of the exact moment he handed it over is yet to emerge, several fans in close proximity confirmed on X that he gave the ball away, making him an internet sensation.
A baseball fan has gone viral for the right reasons after giving a historic home run ball to a child
The man in question showed the infamous ‘Phillies Karen’ a thing or two about generosity
After photos and videos of the commendable spectator went viral, one user commented: ‘the opposite of Phillies Karen’.
‘A blurry photo. And no one calling his employer to tell them about the good deed. Inverse Philly Karen,’ said another.
A third simply posted: ‘the anti-Karen’.
‘Philly Karen is losing her mind over this,’ joked a fourth.
‘Nice to see there are still people out there walking the earth the right way,’ concluded a fifth.
While one urged the Mariners: ‘Give that man some playoff tickets’.
Despite the fierce controversy it created, the ‘Phillies Karen’ is still yet to reveal herself publicly.
On the evening in question, Phillies outfielder Harrison Bader first smacked a home run to left field at loan Depot Park during their game against the Miami Marlins. The ball landed near some Philly fans, in front of a woman who was just a little slow to react.
The woman, the man standing next to her, and two other fans tracking the ball all dove to try and get it. In the end, a man wearing a red Phillies shirt was able to reach down and grab it cleanly.
As he walked off, the woman took a swipe at him and missed as he got back to his seats and then gave the ball to his son.
The Phillies fan went viral after screaming in the face of a man who beat her to a HR ball
But she just couldn’t stand coming up short, meaning she soon hopped down to the man’s row and confronted him. Shocked, the man turned to her in a defensive stance with his hands at his face.
The woman kept screaming at the man, who tried to explain that he beat her fair and square and that he gave the ball to his son.
She did not relent, continuing to berate the man and his son at their seats while pointing a finger in his face.
Having had enough, the man took the ball away from his son, gave it to the woman and was seen saying ‘bye’. The woman then immediately walked off.
The shocking video was the talk of baseball earlier this month, with several fans dressing up as the ‘Phillies Karen’ at ballparks across America.
One of Philly’s most popular baseball stars, Nick Castellanos, said about the incident on Mookie Betts’ show internet show: ‘When I see that, I don’t just see a ball. I see a very frustrated lady.
‘For years, that felt like she’s been getting the s***-end of the stick and now this thing happened, and she’s like, “I’m not finishing second here. I need this for me.”‘
