Two New York Yankees fans tried their best to stop Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts on Tuesday.
During Game 4 of the World Series, when Betts made a foul ball, two Yankees fans sitting in the front row near the foul pole in the right field seats allegedly tried to rip Betts’ glove from his hands. was called for obstruction. The Yankees won 11-4.
The attempt, made in the bottom of the first inning when Betts was chasing a fly ball from Gleyber Torres, failed. Betts appeared to have made the right play as the ball reached the front row seats at Yankee Stadium, and two fans immediately jumped in and tried to steal the ball. One fan actually ripped the ball from Betts’ glove in an apparent attempt to rip the glove completely from Betts’ hand.
Officials immediately called for fan interference and gave Betts an out. Security personnel immediately rushed towards the fans and the two were seen leaving the stands.
“I’ve never seen anything like that,” Betts told reporters afterward. “But there’s always a first time.”
According to a reporter for The Athletic, fans were ejected. The fan who tried to rip Betts’ glove off was identified as Austin Capobianco, 38. Austin’s brother Darren told The Athletic that Betts had been abusing them.
“I just look at the ball. I don’t want to say go grab it, if that makes sense,” Darren Capobianco said, via The Athletic. “And Mookie swore at us. Not good.”
One Yankees fan nearby, Anna from Connecticut, said he called him a “hero” for trying to stop the game.
“This is a championship game,” she said. pic.twitter.com/l5bKHAsRlk
— Rustin Dodd (@rustindodd) October 30, 2024
Austin, a Yankees season ticket holder, declined to comment on the incident to The Athletic via text message. He said he just “wanted to watch the game.”
Betts downplayed the incident after the game, telling reporters in front of his locker, “It doesn’t matter. We lost. It doesn’t matter. I’m fine, he’s fine. Everything’s fine. We’re in the game. I lost, that’s how I feel.” We must turn the page and prepare for tomorrow. ”
Mookie Betts was not interested in discussing the incident with the two fans in the first inning, calling it “irrelevant” to the final outcome of the game. pic.twitter.com/t1TJKdvG25
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) October 30, 2024
Betts was involved in a similar incident with a fan during the 2018 ALCS while with the Boston Red Sox. There were several incidents of fan interference throughout the postseason, including a fan reaching over the outfield wall to catch a fly ball from Torres in Game 1 of the World Series. The play was ruled a double.
The Dodgers entered Tuesday’s game with a 3-0 lead in the series, and Freddie Freeman hit a two-run homer in the top of the first inning to immediately jump up 2-0. Freeman has hit home runs in all four World Series games and has hit home runs in six consecutive World Series games since his last appearance in 2021, both records.
Despite losing early, the Yankees came out ahead thanks to Anthony Volpe’s grand slam homer in the third inning and Torres’ three-run homer in the eighth inning. The Dodgers are aiming to win their first World Series since 2020, while the Yankees haven’t won since 2009.
No team in World Series history has ever successfully rebounded from an 0-3 hole. Game 5 is scheduled for Wednesday night in New York. It is unclear whether Capobianco and Peter will participate. They told ESPN that the Yankees told them they could return for Game 5, but the team has not yet said whether that is true.
