TWO YANKEES fans were ejected from Game 4 of the World Series after interfering with a foul ball catch attempt.
New York Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres had hit a foul ball in the first innings of the game that was initially caught by Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts.
LA Dodgers star Mookie Betts tussled with fans while trying to catch a foul ball from Gleyber Torres[/caption]
The two fans pulled the ball from his Betts’ glove before Torres was given as out[/caption]
The two fans were escorted from the ground[/caption]
Betts had leaped at the wall after going into foul territory and had managed to grab the ball in his glove.
However, two fans in the first row of the Yankee Stadium interfered with the catch.
One fan in a gray Yankees’ road jersey was seen grabbing Betts’ glove with both hands before pulling the ball out.
A second fan was then seen grabbing the 32-year-old’s non-gloved hand as he tried to keep the ball.
Torres, 27, was immediately called out on fan interference, though Betts reacted angrily and was seen remonstrating with the fans.
Both were later escorted out of the ground, with the Yankees coming out as 11-4 winners to move the series to 3-1 to a Dodgers lead.
Reacting after the incident, Betts said: “When it comes to the person in play, it doesn’t matter.
“We lost. It’s irrelevant. I’m fine. He’s fine. Everything’s cool. We lost the game and that’s what I’m kind of focused on. We got to turn the page and get ready for tomorrow.”
The fan who grabbed Betts’ glove was later identified by ESPN as 38-year-old Yankees season-ticket holder from Connecticut called Austin Capobianco.
Speaking after the game, he said he and friend John Peter – the other fan escorted from the ground – had previously discussed the exact scenario.
He said: “We always joke about the ball in our area. We’re not going to go out of our way to attack. If it’s in our area, we’re going to ‘D’ up.
“Someone defends, someone knocks the ball. We talk about it. We’re willing to do this.”
He is now facing the prospect of losing his season ticket or a possible ban from the Yankee Stadium.
Reacting to the incident on social media, one furious fan said: “Should be banned from all 30 stadiums for life.”
A second said: “As a Yankees fan, those two fans need to be arrested and banned for life from the stadium. Apologies to all the Dodger fans and fans in baseball in general. Fans should never touch a player. Ever.”
A third added: “That’s awful fan behavior,” while another said: “Someone will get to watch the rest of the game from home.”
In an unfortunate twist, it was the second time Torres has seen a fan interference impact his play at-bat this World Series.
Game 1 at the Dodger Stadium had seen two outs in the ninth inning when Torres hit a fly ball to left field before a fan reached over a caught the ball, with the Venezuelan then being awarded a double.
The Dodgers are now one win away from their second World Series title in five years and eighth in franchise history, and can complete this feat in Game 5 on Wednesday.
MLB All-Star starters 2024
American League
C: Adley Rutschman (Baltimore Orioles)
1B: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Toronto Blue Jays)
2B: Marcus Semien (Texas Rangers)
3B: José Ramírez (Cleveland Guardians)
SS: Gunnar Henderson (Baltimore Orioles)
OF: Aaron Judge (New York Yankees)
OF: Steven Kwan (Cleveland Guardians)
OF: Juan Soto (New York Yankees)
DH: Yordan Alvarez (Houston Astros)
National League
C: William Contreras (Milwaukee Brewers)
1B: Bryce Harper (Philadelphia Phillies)
2B: Ketel Marte (Arizona Diamondbacks)
3B: Alec Bohm (Philadelphia Phillies)
SS: Trea Turner (Philadelphia Phillies)
OF: Jurickson Profar (San Diego Padres)
OF: Teoscar Hernández (Los Angeles Dodgers)
OF: Christian Yelich (Milwaukee Brewers)
DH: Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Dodgers)
