A father has now spoken out about the viral and controversial moment in which he gave back a home run ball to an angry Philadelphia Phillies fan.
The unidentified woman (falsely identified as Cheryl Richardson-Wagner) has been widely labeled a “Phillies Karen” online. Viral videos showed the woman and dad, now identified as Drew Feltwell, grappling for the Harrison Bader home run ball at the Phillies game against the Miami Marlins on Sept. 5.
And that’s when it took a turn for the worse.
The Dad Says He Wanted to Show His Son a Lesson in De-escalation
The viral videos show that the father got the ball, raised it in his hand, and then went back to his seat, where he gave it to his son, Lincoln.
That’s when the woman dashed over, clad in a Phillies jersey, and clearly angry. Videos show her confronting the shocked father, and claiming that he took the ball from her. The dad then handed the ball over to her. That decision has sparked division online, with some people praising the father’s restraint, and other people criticizing him for caving into the woman.
Dad was able to get a HR ball for his son but a Karen in the section was not gonna let him keep it
pic.twitter.com/kly0opM6aM— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) September 6, 2025
He’s now explaining his side to NBC Philadelphia. He told that outlet that he was attending the game with his son for the boy’s 10th birthday.
“I felt like super dad putting that ball in his glove and giving him a hug,” Feltwell said.
We got the Phillies Karen that took a kid’s baseball in 4K
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) September 6, 2025
“Still in disbelief that she walked down there like that,” said Feltwell to the station.
Feltwell added, “Just trying to set an example of how to de-escalate a situation in front of my son, I guess.” He added that he apologized to his son for giving the ball to the woman, whom he said was “booed” and left the stadium soon after.
I mean, one picture says it all. #phillieskaren pic.twitter.com/tq5VzABvvb
— Dr. Night-Wolf (@NightWolfMD) September 6, 2025
“We ended up having a good night because of good people,” he added.
The Marlins gave his son merchandise, and Bader autographed a bat for him.
