After a video of a woman berating a father-son duo at a baseball game in the USA went viral, social media users have been on a hunt to identify the ‘Phillies Karen’. In the aftermath of the video, some speculated that the woman’s name was Cheryl Richardson-Wagner, which inevitably led to users bombarding her Facebook page with messages.
As it turns out, the social media sleuths may have got it wrong this time. The woman, identified as Cheryl Richardson-Wagner was forced to put up a statement on her social media page, insisting that she was not the person who bullied the father for the home run ball.
“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,” Ms Richardson-Wagner wrote, adding that she wasn’t anywhere near Florida during the match.
Ms Richardson-Wagner even changed her Facebook cover photo to the Boston Red Sox crest to get her point across.
“Apparently I am trending on Twitter. I wonder if I will get apologies from all of these people when the real culprit is discovered??” she responded to a friend.
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What happened?
During a Major League Baseball (MLB) game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Miami Marlins on Friday (Sept 5), Harrison Bader hit a solo home run as the ball landed in the stands of the LoanDepot Park. A man quickly ran across to collect the ball and gave it to his son.
However, moments later, a woman charged at the man, grabbed his shoulders and demanded the ball back, seemingly under the belief she was entitled to it since it was closer to her seat.
“That was mine. You took it from me,” she yelled at the father, according a video clip going viral on social media. “It was in my hands.”
We got the Phillies Karen that took a kid’s baseball in 4K
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) September 6, 2025
The man ended up giving away the ball, but it remains unclear whether the prized possession was ever actually in the woman’s hands. Even then, social media users pointed out that her outburst against the man and his son was unjustified.
A Marlins representative later came to the section, apologised to the boy, identified as Lincoln, who was celebrating his birthday. The staffer gave him a “goodie bag” with various gifts.
“That was not OK,” the Marlins rep said to Lincoln. “So we brought you a cool little goodie bag. I’m so sorry.”
The boy also got to meet Bader after the game and received a signed bat from the player to make up for the incident.
