Dodger Mookie Betts makes light of it after Yankee fans are ejected for extreme disorderly conduct

There was fan interference and there was a misdemeanor assault, and what happened to Los Angeles Dodgers’ Mookie Betts in the right corner of Yankee Stadium in the first inning of Tuesday’s 11-4 loss in Game 4 of the World Series to New York may qualify. as an assault.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Betts said, frustrated that the Dodgers were unable to complete the four-game series but happy to avoid a serious injury during the game. “But there’s always a first time for a first time.”

Gleyber Torres hit the bottom of the first with a shot to right that headed for foul ball. Betts, a six-time Gold Glove award-winning outfielder, jumped against a high padded wall and landed between two Yankees fans, one in a gray road jersey and the other in a white pinstripe home jersey.

But as Betts tried to get the ball, a fan wearing an away jersey – identified by The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty as 38-year-old Austin Capobianco of Connecticut – reached into Betts’ glove in an attempt to grab the ball.

The second fan, identified as John Peter by ESPN’s Jesse Rogers, then grabbed the wrist of Betts’ throwing hand and pulled on it to prevent Betts from grabbing the ball, which squirted from the glove onto the dirt warning track. Right field umpire Mark Carlson immediately called for fans to intervene and Torres was ejected from the game.

Capobianco and Rogers were ejected and escorted from their seats by stadium security, giving high fives and at least once hugging applauding fans as they walked down the aisle.

They told ESPN that stadium security told them they could return for Game 5 on Wednesday, but the team later issued a ban. Capobianco is a season ticket holder and expressed hope that he will be able to keep his seat next season.

“Yeah, it looked ridiculous from my perspective,” Dodgers shortstop Tommy Edman said. “The guy tried to take his glove off by pulling on his wrist. … It looked like he got kicked out and I’m glad he did. I’ve never seen anything like this. It was unacceptable.”

Betts played his first six years with the Boston Red Sox, on the opposite side of one of baseball’s fiercest rivalries, so he was used to being scorned in the Bronx.

But never in his 11 major league seasons had he seen fans be so aggressive towards a player.

Although he was clearly angry with the fans after the match, he did not feel bad after the match.

“It doesn’t matter, we lost, it doesn’t matter,” Betts said of the game. “I’m fine. (The fan) is fine. Everything’s fine. We lost the game and that’s what I’m focused on. We’ve got to turn the page and get ready” for Game 5.

Ben Casparius, who pitched the first two innings of the bullpen for the Dodgers on Tuesday night, allowing one run and one hit, walking three times and striking out one, grew up a Red Sox fan in Westport, Conn., and said he attended the 50th anniversary. -60 games at Yankee Stadium as a kid, always wearing Red Sox gear.

Was he surprised by what happened to Betts?

“No, not at all,” Casparius said. “I thought it was an interesting moment, just being a couple of shots in the game. And obviously there’s a history with this team and (Mookie) playing for the Red Sox as long as he did. It was kind of like a “here we go” moment at the beginning.

The Dodgers had a “here we go again” moment in the top of the first when Betts doubled into right field with one out and Freddie Freeman hit a two-run homer to right field for a 2-0 lead.

Freeman hit a two-run homer in the first inning of Monday’s 4-2 Game 3 victory.

However, the Yankees scored once in the second quarter, and shortstop Anthony Volpe crushed a weak first-pitch slider from reliever Daniel Hudson to left field for a two-out grand slam and a 5-2 lead.

The Dodgers scored twice in the fifth to cut the deficit to 5-4, but New York catcher Austin Wells singled into the second deck from right field in the sixth for a 6-4 lead.

The Yankees then opened the game, scoring five runs and scoring an eighth off Brent Honeywell, highlighted by a three-run single by Torres to right-center field.

Yankees shortstop Aaron Judge ended the rally with an RBI single to left after walking, was hit by a pitch, reached on an error and flew to center in his first four plate appearances.

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