Two fans who interfered with Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts during Game 4 of the 2024 World Series at Yankee Stadium have been banned indefinitely from all Major League Baseball games at all stadiums, the New York Post reports.
Dan Martin writes:
In a letter from an MLB official obtained by The Post, the league wrote to the banned fans in part: “Your conduct posed a serious risk to the health and safety of the player and went far over the line of acceptable fan behavior. Based on your conduct, Major League Baseball is banning you indefinitely from all MLB stadiums, offices, and other facilities.”
The incident occurred during the first inning of Game 4 when Gleyber Torres of the New York Yankees lifted a foul ball down the right-field line. Betts made a leaping play on the ball at the wall, but a pair of fans seated at the railing grabbed his throwing hand and wrested the ball from his glove. Here’s a look:
Torres was called out because of fan interference, and the two fans — later identified as Austin Capobianco and John P. Hansen — were ejected from Game 4 and barred from the decisive Game 5 by the Yankees, who, in a statement, called the act of interfering with Betts “egregious and unacceptable.”
“We always joke about the ball in our area,” Capobianco told ESPN soon after the incident. “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.”
While the Yankees won Game 4, it turned out to be their only victory of the series as the Dodgers prevailed in five games.
