Yankees fan who ripped ball away from Mookie Betts ejected, per MLB officials
The two Yankees fans involved in an attempted grabbing Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts’ glove were ejected, according to Evan Drellich of The Athletic.
One fan had both hands on Betts’ glove while he attempted to make a catch. The play was ruled fan interference and it was ruled the first out of bottom of the first.
Another unidentified fan caught a video of both Yankees fans being escorted out of the stadium, which can be seen below.
In the bottom of the first inning, Betts went after a fly ball into right field, in foul ground mind you, hit by Gleyber Torres. Betts reached into the stands and made the catch.
However, a Yankees fan reached for the ball and then Betts’ glove, attempting to rip it off his hand. It was called fan interference and it registered the first out of the inning.
“In every case of spectator interference with a batted or thrown ball, the ball shall be declared dead and the baserunners can be placed where the umpire determines they would have been without the interference,” the rule reads.
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“When a spectator clearly prevents a fielder from catching a fly ball by reaching onto the field of play, the batter shall be ruled out. But no interference is called if a spectator comes in contact with a batted or thrown ball without reaching onto the field of play — even if a fielder might have caught the ball had the spectator not been there.”
It wasn’t the first time it happened in this series, so Betts doesn’t have to feel like he’s on an island.
With two outs in the top of the ninth inning in Friday’s World Series Game 1, Torres thought he had a home run to give the New York Yankees a 3-2 lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers. But the umpires called fan interference after someone reached over and caught the ball in the field of play – putting Torres on second base.
Torres sent a 2-1 pitch from Michael Kopech toward the left field wall at Dodger Stadium when a fan reached over and caught the ball. By MLB rule, it was fan interference, meaning the umpire sent Torres went to second base as a result.