NEW YORK — The two New York Yankees fans who were ejected from Game 4 of the World Series for interfering with Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts were banned from Game 5 on Wednesday.
Betts jumped over the wall in the foul zone and initially caught Gleyber Torres’ pop-up in the first inning, but a front-row fan wearing a gray Yankees away jersey grabbed the glove with both hands. of Betts and snatched the ball from him. Another assistant took Betts’ other hand.
The league and the club released a statement in which they reported that the two fans who ripped the ball out of the glove of Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts will not be able to attend the next game.
“Yankee Stadium is known for its energy and intensity; However, exuberant support for your team must never cross the line and intentionally jeopardize player safety,” the club said Wednesday in a statement. “The Yankees and Major League Baseball have a zero-tolerance policy toward the type of behavior seen last night. Fans will not be able to attend tonight’s match in any way.”
The Dodgers had a two-run lead at the time after a two-run homer by Freddie Freeman. Betts reacted angrily to the play and Torres immediately received an out for fan interference.
“When it comes to the person at stake, it doesn’t matter,” Betts said after the Yankees extended the series with their 11-4 victory. “We lost. It’s irrelevant. I’m fine. He’s fine. All good. We lost the game and that’s what I’m focused on. We can turn the page and get ready for tomorrow.”
It was the second time Torres’ at-bat was affected by fan interference in this World Series. With two outs in the ninth of the first game at Dodger Stadium, Torres hit a fly ball to left field and a fan leaned against the wall to catch the ball. Torres received a double.
Torres later hit a two-run home run to right field for New York’s final runs.
