Young Phillies Fan Given Swag After Home Run Ball Dispute
Who/When/Where/What/Result: On Sept. 5, 2025, at loanDepot Park in Miami, a Harrison Bader home run landed in the stands. Video shows a brief tussle over the ball involving multiple adults and a young boy; Marlins staff later gave the child team-branded swag and Bader presented him with a signed bat after the game, which the Phillies won 9-3.
Key Takeaways
- Harrison Bader hit a home run during the Phillies–Marlins game on Sept. 5, 2025 at loanDepot Park.
- The ball landed in the stands and footage shows an adult man handing it to a young boy, then an adult woman asserting the ball was hers.
- Video is unclear whether the woman initially secured the ball or whether it was taken from her hand.
- A Marlins staffer is seen giving the boy a gift bag with team swag and apologizing on camera.
- The boy — identified by local media as Lincoln — is reported to be the son of Drew Feltwell; his birthday was said to be soon.
- After the game, Bader met the boy and gave him a signed bat; the Phillies beat the Marlins 9-3.
Verified Facts
Harrison Bader of the Philadelphia Phillies hit a home run on Sept. 5, 2025, during the club’s road game at loanDepot Park in Miami. Video clips widely shared online capture the ball traveling into the stands and moments of confusion as fans reached for it.
Footage shows an adult male pick up the ball and walk it back toward his seat, briefly giving it to a young boy in the row. A woman then approaches, telling the man the ball was hers; in subsequent clips the man returns the ball to the woman, who leaves with it.
A Marlins employee appears on video offering the child a Miami Marlins gift bag and apologizing for the incident, asking if the boy was okay and wishing him a happy birthday. Local television reporting identified the boy as Lincoln and named his father as Drew Feltwell.
After the game, Phillies outfielder Harrison Bader spoke with the young fan and presented him with a signed bat. The home team left Miami with a 9-3 victory over the Marlins.
| Game | Date | Score | Stadium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phillies vs. Marlins | Sept. 5, 2025 | Phillies 9, Marlins 3 | loanDepot Park |
Context & Impact
Home run balls are prized souvenirs for fans, especially children. Incidents where multiple fans claim the same ball often generate heated exchanges and viral attention, especially when video circulates on social media.
Teams and stadium staff frequently step in after such disputes to smooth relations and ensure the affected fan, particularly a child, leaves with a positive memory. In this case, the Marlins staffer’s gift bag and Bader’s signed bat appear aimed at defusing the situation and compensating the young fan.
Online viewers reacted strongly; some criticized the adult behavior captured in the footage, while others praised the teams and players for the postgame gestures that centered the child’s experience.
Official Statements
“I’m so sorry. Are you OK?”
Marlins staffer (on video)
Unconfirmed
- Whether the woman initially secured the ball in her hand before the man reached it remains unclear from available footage.
- Exact sequence — whether the man retrieved the ball from an empty row or from the woman’s grasp — is not definitively established by public video.
Bottom Line
The episode at loanDepot Park highlights how quickly a prized baseball can spark dispute and viral attention. Team staff and the player took steps after the game to make the young fan a priority, providing swag and a signed bat that turned the incident into a largely positive outcome for the child.