close
close

Yankees fans banned from World Series after Mookie Betts interference

play

The two New York Yankees fans who were ejected from Game 4 on Tuesday night for disrupting Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts will not be back in their seats along the right field line for tonight's game.

Despite his initial claim to ESPN, season ticket holder Austin Capobianco and his friend John Peter will no longer be allowed into the stadium for Game 5 on Wednesday, the Yankees announced.

“The Yankees and Major League Baseball have a zero-tolerance policy toward the type of behavior exhibited last night,” the Yankees said in a statement. “These fans will in no way be permitted to attend tonight’s game.”

The Yankees said the fans' behavior was “outrageous and unacceptable.”

Capobianco told ESPN after the game that he knew he did something wrong, but seemed to indicate he had no remorse. “I patrol the wall and they know it,” he said.

The bizarre play came in the bottom of the first inning on a foul fly by Yankees leadoff hitter Gleyber Torres.

Capobianco said he and Peter often talked about what to do in such situations.

“We won’t bother attacking. If it's near us, we'll go up 'D,'” he told ESPN. “Someone defends, someone hits the ball. We talk about it. We are ready for this.”

MLB's interference rules allow fans to attempt to catch balls that are in the seating area. However, umpires have the option to call out a batter if a fan intentionally prevents a fielder from catching the ball. Betts eventually managed to catch the ball before the ball was ripped out of his glove and Torres was taken out of the game.

“The safety of players, fans and stadium personnel is the fundamental element of every event at Yankee Stadium and must not be compromised,” the Yankees said.

“Tonight is the last home game of the year and we want all the passion of our fans to be on display. Yankee Stadium is known for its energy and intensity, but the exuberance of supporting your team can never result in intentionally attacking players at physical risk.”

This story has been updated to include new information and headlines.

Get to the heart of the news quickly with the USA TODAY app. Download for award-winning reporting, crosswords, audio storytelling, the e-newspaper and more.

You may also like...