Two New York Yankees fans were ejected from Game 4 of the World Series on Tuesday night after interfering with a catch made by Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts.
The incident occurred during the first inning when Betts ran toward the right-field wall to catch a foul hit by Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres. Betts caught the ball in foul territory, but then video footage showed a fan reaching over the wall and grabbing Betts’ glove. Another spectator pulled on Betts’ arm at the same time, causing the ball to pop loose. An umpire ruled that Torres was out due to fan interference.
Video footage of the incident immediately began circulating on social media, prompting outraged reactions.
“Well, A for effort.”
Fan interference was called on this play where a Yankee fan tried to take the ball out of Mookie Betts’ glove after an out. pic.twitter.com/iZ6taImncd
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 30, 2024
Former Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz, now a FOX Sports broadcaster, said the fan “won’t be watching the game much longer.”
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Video footage showed both fans being escorted out of the stadium. On their way out, the men exchanged high-fives with other Yankees fans, and one of them told The Athletic reporter Rustin Dodd that the fan was a “hero … it’s a championship game.”
The ejected fan was identified by ESPN as a Yankees season-ticket holder who said he had prepared for that situation in advance. “We always joke about the ball in our area,” the fan said after the game, per the outlet. “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.”
Security reportedly told the two men they were not permitted to come back for Game 5 on Wednesday.
Betts did not have much to say about what happened, responding to teammate Tommy Edman calling the behavior “unacceptable” by saying, “We lost, that’s what I’m focused on.”
The Yankees won Game 4 on Tuesday with a final score of 11-4. They trail the Dodgers three games to one in the best-of-seven series. The Yankees are seeking their 28th World Series title, which would be their first since 2009. The Dodgers are hoping for their first World Series ring since winning the series in 2020. The team has won seven World Series titles in franchise history.
