The father at the center of a viral “Phillies Karen” incident says he gave up his son’s home run ball to avoid escalating a confrontation in front of his child.
Drew Feltwell, whose 9-year-old son Lincoln was celebrating an early birthday, spoke out after video of the clash sparked national attention.
The Viral Scene
The incident unfolded Friday night during the Phillies-Marlins game in Miami.
Phillies outfielder Harrison Bader had just hit a home run into the stands.
Feltwell retrieved the ball and proudly placed it in Lincoln’s glove.
Moments later, a woman stormed up to the family, shouting that the ball was hers.
Video captured her yelling, “That was ours!… No, you took it from me!”
As she pressed closer, Feltwell eventually pulled the ball out of his son’s glove and handed it over.
Dad’s Explanation
Feltwell told NBC10 that he felt cornered as the woman screamed inches from his face.
“I had a fork in the road: either do something I was probably going to regret or be dad and show him how to de-escalate,” he explained.
“I just wanted her to go away.”
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Lincoln admitted he was disappointed but said he understood.
“I wasn’t very happy that we had to give it to her, but we can’t win,” he said.
The woman, later booed out of the stadium, left minutes after grabbing the ball.
Phillies Step In
Stadium staff quickly made it up to Lincoln.
The Marlins gave him a gift bag, while the Phillies arranged something bigger.
After the game, Lincoln met Bader, who signed a bat and posed for photos with the family.
Feltwell said the kindness of both teams turned the night around.
“We ended up having a good night because of good people,” he said.
Still, he admitted it hurt to take the ball away from his son.
“Putting the ball in his glove and then taking it back out killed me,” he said.
