Yankees fans were ejected during Game 4 of the World Series after ripping the ball out of Mookie Betts' glove

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.

In the middle of the first inning, Betts ran toward the right field line and the corner wall 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 unclasped the outfielder's glove as the ball popped out, while the other grabbed the Dodgers star's other hand.

Betts reacted angrily to the incident and Torres was ejected by the referee due to fan interference.

“A sign of effort,” said Joe Davis of the Fox commentary team. 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 subsequently showed the two fans being escorted out of Yankee Stadium by security while exchanging high-fives with other New York fans on the way out. A fan told Athletic reporter Rustin Dodd said 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 at the game with his friend.

According to ESPN, the two had previously discussed what they would do if foul play came their way.

“We always joke about the ball in our area,” the identified fan said at a local bar after the game, according to ESPN. “We won’t bother attacking. If it's in our area, we'll ramp up “D.” Someone defends, someone hits the ball. We talk about it. We are ready for this.”

Fans told ESPN that stadium security has informed them that they will be allowed back on site for Game 5 on Wednesday.

An MLB spokesperson confirmed to CNN that both fans were ejected. CNN has reached out to the Yankees for comment on the situation.

The Yankees would beat the Dodgers 11-4 and avoid elimination with the series 3-1 in LA's favor. No team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit in the Fall Classic.

“It doesn’t matter,” Betts said when asked about the incident afterwards. “We lost, that’s irrelevant. I'm fine, he's fine, everything's cool. We lost the game, I'm kind of focused on that, turning the page. Everything is OK.”

Betts' teammate Tommy Edman called the incident “unacceptable.”

“Yeah, that looked ridiculous from my perspective,” the Dodgers shortstop said. “The guy tried to take his glove off by pulling on his wrist. …It looked like he ejected, and I'm glad he did. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

It's not the first time in this World Series that Torres has interfered with a ball through fan interference.

In Game 1, the Venezuelan got a double after he hit a ball toward left field at Dodger Stadium and a fan reached over the wall and caught it.