Matthew Wilson
A dad is breaking his silence after a hostile exchange with a fan at a Phillies game went viral. The woman demanded a home run ball that the man grabbed for his son.
Videos by Rare
Dad Drew Feltwell and his son Lincoln went to the Phillies game against the Miami Marlins on September 5. Harrison Bader hit a home run ball that went into the stands. Feltwell got the ball for his son and went to give it to him.
However, a woman approached him afterwards and angrily demanded the ball. The video went viral online, leading to people condemning and some supporting the woman. Now, the Phillies fan is speaking out about what happened to him.
Phillies Fan Encounter
He explained he was trying to celebrate his son’s 10th birthday. Speaking with NBC 10 Philadelphia, he said they were just trying to have a good time.
“We’re just trying to make this week about him,” he said. “I felt like super dad, putting that ball in his glove and giving him a hug.”
He said he is “still in disbelief that she walked down there like that.” He said he wanted to “just trying to set an example of how to de-escalate a situation in front of my son.”
The Phillies ended up supporting the father and son after he gave the woman the ball. Bader later met the boy after the game and gave him a signed bat along with other swag.
“We ended up having a good night because of good people,” Drew told NBC 10 Philadelphia. “I wish I had the ball for my son to put in his room next to the bat, but if I had the ball, I probably wouldn’t have gotten the bat, so it worked out fine.”
However, as a father, he said “putting the ball in his glove and then taking it back out killed me,”
“I hope that ball means a lot to her,” he told the local outlet.
