The Arizona Diamondbacks were back in Phoenix on Friday night to get a weekend series with the Miami Marlins underway, but the crowd in red and black had bigger things on their mind. Everyone in the MLB is still thinking about the unfortunate events from earlier in the week in Chicago.

Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte was visibly shaken up earlier in the week in Chicago when a White Sox fan heckled him about his late mother, who passed away in a car accident in 2017. The White Sox ballpark and fans gave Marte a tribute the next day, and the fan was banned from all MLB parks for life.

On Friday night, Marte returned to play in front of his home crowd for the first time since the incident. The Diamondbacks fans wore shirts to celebrate Marte and gave him a massive ovation when he stepped up to the plate for his first at-bat.

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It was an emotional moment for Marte and for everyone in the crowd, as the Arizona star took a moment to acknowledge the crowd.

Marte was extra emotional when the heckler mentioned his late mother because he was in Chicago eight years ago when he found out about her passing.

The two-time All-Star has really ingratiated himself in the Phoenix community since coming over to the Diamondbacks from the Seattle Mariners back in 2017. This is his ninth season there and he has been one of the best second basemen in the entire Major League during his time there, including helping lead the D-Backs to a National League pennant back in 2023.

It comes as no surprise that Marte is a fan-favorite in Arizona, and it was heartwarming to see the crowd rally around him. At the moment, the Diamondbacks trail the Marlins 2-1 in the fifth inning, so maybe it will be up to the star infielder to come up with some magic to help them get a win.