The Philadelphia Phillies took the first two games of their series against the Miami Marlins, extending their lead over the New York Mets in the NL East. But nobody’s talking about what happened on the field.
Instead, everyone’s focused on the “Phillies Karen” incident that went viral from Friday night’s game.
Wrong Woman Gets Targeted
As Jack Bezants of The Daily Mail reports, one woman had to publicly deny she was the fan who demanded a home run ball from a father and his young son.
Cheryl Richardson-Wagner found herself getting hate messages after social media sleuths incorrectly identified her as the woman from the viral video. She posted on Facebook: “Ok everyone. I’m NOT the crazy Philly Mom (but I sure would love to be as thin as she is and move as fast) … and I’m a Red Sox fan.”
Here’s the thing – Richardson-Wagner wasn’t even in Miami. She’s a Red Sox fan who was nowhere near the ballpark, according to her social media posts.
What Actually Happened
The incident started when Harrison Bader hit a home run to left field during Friday’s Phillies-Marlins game. A father quickly moved across his row to grab the ball, then walked back and placed it in his son’s glove.
That’s when the woman now known as “Phillies Karen” got in the father’s face, yelling “That (ball) was ours.”
The father ended up giving her the ball, pulling it right out of his son’s glove. Both broadcast teams were clearly irritated watching it unfold.
A Phillies fan retrieves a home run ball for his son and this woman is furious she did not get the ball pic.twitter.com/kDMMJrw2R5
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) September 6, 2025
Happy Ending for the Kid
The Marlins stepped up quickly. A stadium worker brought the young fan a goodie bag filled with baseball gear. Even better, he got to meet Bader after the game and received a signed bat from the player who hit the home run.
It’s a nice reminder that the baseball community usually gets these things right, even when individual fans don’t.
The viral moment has sparked an internet hunt to identify the woman, but Richardson-Wagner’s situation shows how quickly innocent people can get caught up in the backlash. She had to deal with hate messages for something she didn’t do and wasn’t even present for.
For now, the actual “Phillies Karen” remains unidentified, though internet sleuths will likely keep searching. The incident serves as both entertainment and a cautionary tale about fan behavior – and the risks of online vigilante justice.
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