CNN
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Two New York Yankees fans were ejected from Game 4 of the World Series after ripping the ball from Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts’ glove on Tuesday.
Midway through the bottom of the first inning, Betts ran towards the right field line and the corner wall in an attempt to catch a foul ball from Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres.
After Betts appeared to catch the ball, one of the fans in the front row pried open the outfielder’s glove as the ball popped loose while the other grabbed the Dodgers star’s other hand.
Betts reacted angrily to the incident and Torres was ruled out by the umpire via fan interference.
“A for effort,” Joe Davis on the Fox commentary team said. Former eight-time All-Star pitcher and color commentator John Smoltz added: “Well, he won’t be watching the game much longer.”
Videos on social media afterwards showed the two fans being escorted out of Yankee Stadium by security as they exchanged high-fives with fellow New York fans on their way out. One fan told The Athletic reporter Rustin Dodd that the fan was a “hero … it’s a championship game.”
The fan who ripped the ball out of Betts’ glove was reportedly identified by ESPN as a Yankees season-ticket holder, who was in attendance at the game with his friend.
According to ESPN, the pair had discussed before what they would do if a foul ball came their way.
“We always joke about the ball in our area,” the identified fan said at a local bar after the game, per 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. Someone defends, someone knocks the ball. We talk about it. We’re willing to do this.”
The fans told ESPN that stadium security said they would be allowed back to the grounds for Wednesday’s Game 5.
An MLB spokesperson confirmed to CNN that both fans were ejected. CNN has contacted the Yankees for comment on the situation.
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The Yankees would go onto beat the Dodgers 11-4, staving off elimination with the series 3-1 in LA’s favor. No team has ever come back from a 0-3 deficit in the Fall Classic.
“It doesn’t matter,” Betts said when asked about the incident afterwards. “We lost, it’s irrelevant. I’m fine, he’s fine, everything’s cool. We lost the game, that’s what I’m kind of focused on, turn the page. Everything’s fine.”
Betts’ teammate Tommy Edman called the incident “unacceptable.”
“Yeah, that looked ridiculous from my perspective,” the Dodgers shortstop said. “The guy was trying to yank his glove off, pulling at his wrist. … It looked like he got ejected, and I’m glad he did. I’ve never seen anything like that.”
It’s not the first time this World Series that Torres has had a ball affected by fan interference.
In Game 1, the Venezuelan was awarded a double after he hit a ball towards left field at Dodger Stadium and a fan reached over the wall and caught it.
