The father who handed over a home run ball meant for his son to an angry Philadelphia Phillies fan is asking the public to lay off the woman labeled “Phillies Karen.”
In an interview with USA TODAY, Drew Feltwell voiced his concerns about the public’s attempts to identify and confront the woman in the now-viral video.
“Please don’t do anything to that lady,’’ Feltwell told USA TODAY Monday. “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.’’
Feltwell and his son were watching the Phillies take on the Miami Marlins on Sept. 5 when Philadelphia outfielder Harrison Bader hit a home run. Feltwell hustled over several seats to retrieve the ball, which he intended to give to his son Lincoln.
Here is the full video of the situation in the outfield after Harrison Bader’s Home Run.
🎥 @NBCSPhilly https://t.co/W5thuO6nhg pic.twitter.com/h9yJaPbcmX
— Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) September 6, 2025
However, in a moment that has since gone viral millions of times over, a short-haired woman in a Phillies jersey ran over to Feltwell, arguing that the ball was hers.
Feltwell caved and gave the ball to the woman–and that’s when the chaos started.
‘Phillies Karen’ becomes a target
Almost immediately, the internet sprung into action, lambasting the woman for her actions and attempting to identify her.
“I could say something like she got what she deserved, but I don’t know if she deserved that much,” Feltwell told USA TODAY.
In an earlier interview with NBC Philadelphia, the elder Feltwell explained that he surrendered the ball as a de-escalation technique.
“Just trying to set an example of how to de-escalate a situation in front of my son, I guess,” he told the station.
Lincoln Feltwell eventually got the chance to meet Bader, who gifted the boy a signed baseball bat.
Cases of mistaken identity
At one point in the aftermath of the incident, internet users were sure they had correctly identified “Phillies Karen” as Cheryl Richardson Wagner.
However, the real Cheryl Richardson Wagner is a Boston Red Sox fan and is not the woman in the video, she clarified on Facebook.
“OK, everyone. I’m not the crazy Philly mom,” Richardson Wagner explained. “But I sure would love to be as thin as she is and move as fast…and I’m a Red Sox fan.”
Additionally, the Hammonton School District in Southern New Jersey was forced to release a statement clarifying that one of its employees, who some people also thought might have been the woman in question, was not who online sleuths were looking for.
“The woman identified on social media as ‘Phillies Karen’ is not, and has never been an employee, of the Hammonton Public Schools located in Hammonton, New Jersey,” the district said.
