When Yankees Fans Take the Game Into Their Own Hands. Literally.
The New York Times
Two fans tried to rip a ball out of the glove of Mookie Betts, the Dodgers right fielder. They were ejected and will not be allowed to attend Game 5 on Wednesday night.
The two fans who interfered with a foul ball at Game 4 of the World Series Tuesday night will not be allowed back into Yankee Stadium for Game 5 on Wednesday, the Yankees said in a statement.
“Last night two fans were ejected from Yankee Stadium for egregious and unacceptable physical contact with Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts,” the Yankees said in a statement issued Wednesday. “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 Yankees said they and Major League Baseball maintain a zero-tolerance policy “toward the type of behavior displayed last night,” and said the fans would not be allowed into the stadium in any capacity. There was no indication whether the ban would extend beyond this season.
The fans, identified by ESPN as Austin Capobianco, a Yankees season-ticket holder, and his friend John Peter, were ejected from the stadium for pulling the ball from Betts’s glove. It happened in the first inning of Game 4 when Betts, the Dodgers right fielder, jumped into the right-field stands and caught a foul ball hit by Gleyber Torres of the Yankees.
Capobianco pulled at Betts’s glove, trying to pry it open, while Peter grabbed the player’s wrist. After a quick struggle, the ball popped out and landed on the field. But the umpire along the foul line immediately signaled fan interference, meaning Torres was out. The two fans were then escorted out of the stadium for interfering with play, high-fiving fellow Yankees fans as they left.
When reached on Wednesday, Mr. Capobianco declined to comment, except to say he was disappointed his younger brother and his friends could not use the season tickets for Game 5.
