Heartwarming gesture from player after grown woman was caught doing controversial act to boy and father on live TV

A baseball player stepped in with a heartwarming gesture after a fan's controversial act during a match.

On Friday, the Marlins and the Phillies met at LoanDepot Park, with fans cheering them on as Phillies outfielder Harrison Bader skilfully hit a home run and sent the ball flying into the stands.

Anyone who has been to a baseball game knows that if a ball goes into the stands and someone catches it, then it's fair game for them to take it home.

As the ball soared out of the field over half a dozen fans scrambled to intercept it, with a gray-haired fan almost making it, only to fumble the catch.

As the ball fell to the ground in the stands it was picked up by a dad who returned back and presented it to his delighted son.

The fan walking away with her prize (NBC Sports)

But, undeterred, the gray-haired fan marched over to the family and demanded the ball, with the shocked dad eventually taking the ball from his son's glove and giving it to her.

The whole controversial incident was captured on camera, and it would quickly emerge that the boy, who was named as Lincoln, had been celebrating his birthday.

While Lincoln may have missed out on the ball that was hit by Bader, at the end of the match the Phillies would do him one better.

Images posted to the team's social media account show the player meeting Lincoln afterwards and presenting him with a signed bat.

"Going home with a signed bat from Bader," read the post on Twitter.

The Phillies were not the only ones to carry out a heartwarming gesture to makes things right either.

Bader presents Lincoln with the signed bat (X / @Phillies)

A representative of the Marlins can be seen in a separate video coming to meet the disappointed boy in the stands.

There, she presented him with a goodie bag containing several gifts, including a ball for him and for his sister, who was sitting next to him.

A video posted on social media shows the rep saying: “We brought you a cool little goodie bag."

Fans took to social media to praise the teams for their efforts in resolving an unpleasant situation.

“Gonna make a Phillies (baseball) fan outta me,” wrote one.

A second posted: “It is good the baseball team worked out something to try to make the situation right.”

The fan herself has since been dragged for her behavior.

One person joked 'is she a CEO?', in reference to the CEO of company astronomer who was caught on a kiss-cam at a Coldplay concert sharing an embrace with a co-worker