A Harrison Bader home run in the Philadelphia Phillies’ 9-3 win over the Miami Marlins on September 5 took on a life of its own. Bader turned a Lake Bachar slider into a souvenir, hammering the ball deep into the left field stands. The solo shot gave Philadelphia a 5-1 lead and introduced the world to a new baseball villain known as “Phillies Karen.”
A brief scramble broke out as fans tried to get their hands on Bader’s 410-foot blast. A man emerged from the scrum with the ball and handed it to his son. But the wholesome family moment was interrupted by an irate woman. Cameras captured “Phillies Karen” accosting the man and arguing with him until he retrieved the ball from his son’s glove and handed it over.
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
The surreal altercation became an immediate sensation and the woman was thoroughly demonized in the ensuing social media firestorm. But Phillies right fielder Nick Castellanos offered a deeper take on the incident.
“This woman was obviously mad about a lot of other things in her life, right? So then this one instance happened. So now everything that she has been mad about for years all came out in this one moment where she feels like this man stole her opportunity for happiness,” Castellanos said during an appearance on “On Base With Mookie Betts.”
Nick Castellanos creates psychological profile of “Phillies Karen”
“Whenever I’m playing catch… I always aim for a kid. But you always have that ambitious adult sometimes that will come and grab it.” Castellanos added.
“I don’t just see a ball. I see a very frustrated lady for years that felt like she’s probably been getting the s—t end of the stick. And now this thing happened and she’s like, ‘I’m not finishing second here. I need this for me.’ Completely was oblivious to the fact that this man was getting it for his son.”
While Castellanos’ take on the woman’s motivation was insightful, her actions were swiftly denounced by both the Phillies and the Marlins. Philadelphia even arranged for Bader to meet the kid who was deprived of the home run ball and gift him a signed bat.
Castellanos has a reputation for speaking his mind. And that outspokenness got him benched when he “crossed a line” with manager Rob Thomson in June.
Rumors have circulated suggesting the Phillies are eager to move on from Castellanos after the season. However, the team is currently focused on the playoffs after clinching the NL East for the second-straight year.
