NEW YORK -- In the first inning of World Series Game 4 on Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium, Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts pursued a deep foul ball off the bat of Yankees leadoff man Gleyber Torres. Betts leapt up against the wall in foul territory and appeared to make the catch, but a Yankees fan grabbed ahold of Betts' glove and tried to pry the ball out, resulting in the ball bouncing back onto the field.
The umpiring crew immediately and correctly, ruled Torres was out on fan interference while Betts exchanged words with the Yankees fans in the front row.
Here's a look at the incident that happened in the eventual 11-4 Yankees win:
The fans have been banned from attending Wednesday night's Game 5. The Yankees released a statement Wednesday, saying the fans made "egregious and unacceptable physical contact" with Betts.
"The safety and security of players, fans and Stadium staff is the foundational element of every event held at Yankee Stadium, and it cannot be compromised," the team said. "[Wednesday] marks the final home game of year, and we want every ounce of our fans' passion on display. Yankee Stadium is known for its energy and intensity, however the exuberance of supporting one's team can never cross the line into intentionally putting players at physical risk. The Yankees and Major League Baseball maintain a zero-tolerance policy toward the type of behavior displayed [Tuesday] night."
Here's what the MLB rulebook (specifically rule 6.01), says about fan interference:
When there is spectator interference with any thrown or batted ball, the ball shall be dead at the moment of interference and the umpire shall impose such penalties as in his opinion will nullify the act of interference.
Obviously, this was an open-and-shut case with the player clearly in the process of making a successful catch while the fan knocked the ball away from him.
"I thought he had a beat on it and the fans got in the way and the umpires got it right," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after the game.
Two fans were ejected from the game. The fan who grabbed the glove was identified in the report as season-ticket holder Austin Capobianco. Capobianco and the other ejected fan, identified as John Peter, initially said they were told they would be allowed to return to Yankee Stadium for Game 5 on Wednesday.
"We always joke about the ball in our area," Capobianco told ESPN. "We're not going to go out of our way to attack. If it's in our area, we're going to 'D' up."
Dodgers' shortstop/center fielder Tommy Edman was not amused by the Game 4 incident.
"That looked ridiculous from my perspective," Edman said. "The guy was trying to yank his glove off and pulled on his wrist and it looked like he got ejected, which I'm glad he did. That was unacceptable for a fan."
Generally speaking, a fan honestly approaching a fly ball and interfering with a player tends not to get ejected from the ballpark. The fan who caught Torres' fly ball at the right-center field wall in Dodger Stadium in Game 1, which was ruled a double due to interference, remained at the game, for example. In this situation, though, the fans were physically tussling with the player and that is absolutely grounds to eject.
They always say when you go to a baseball game, there's a chance you'll see something you've never seen before. This unique play is yet another in a long line of examples. Of course, we have to acknowledge the injury risk there with fans grabbing and clawing at Betts' hand. Capobianco's brother told The Athletic that Betts was swearing at them and it's hard to blame him. The players need to feel safe while plying their trade.
Betts wasn't interested in talking about it after the game.
"When it comes to the first-inning play, it doesn't matter," he said. "We lost. It's irrelevant. I'm fine, he's fine, everything is cool. We lost the game and that's what I'm gonna focus on. We gotta turn the page and get ready for tomorrow."