After briefly being hailed as heroes, the New York Yankees fans who pried a ball out of Mookie Betts’ glove after grabbing his wrists won’t see their team, or any other, for a long time.
Austin Capobianco and John P. Hansen were reportedly banned from all MLB stadiums indefinitely because of the incident.
During the bottom of the first inning in Game 4 of the World Series, with the Yanks trailing three games to none, Gleyber Torres hit a pop fly down the right field line that headed toward the stands. Betts leaped for the ball and made the catch, but he was apparently in a danger zone.
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A Yankee fan in the front row tried to rip Betts’ glove off of his hand and take the ball out, and another fan held Betts’ wrists as the ball eventually came out.
Fans were escorted out of the stadium but were initially allowed to return the following night before the team reversed course and donated the tickets to a child with cancer and his family.
The Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder didn’t speak much about the ordeal after Game 4, but after Game 5, he let it all out.
“That was wild, man. That was really wild. I’ve never experienced anything like that. I was telling my wife that was like the second time in my life I’ve ever wanted to fight someone,” Betts told FOX after he won his third World Series title. “I get it, man. I get it. I don’t know if he was trying to get the ball, don’t know what he was really trying to do. But he had to do what he had to do, and it is what it is.”
Capobianco defended his actions, saying it was to help the Yankees.
“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.”
The fans were in the seats of a friend who has been a season ticket holder since 1990. That fan is permitted to keep the season tickets.
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