Fan interference is nothing new at baseball games, as there is a rich history of fans and players battling for the same fly balls. However, usually any interference is done on the catch, whether that’s a fan reaching over the wall (like we saw earlier this World Series) or a fan getting in the way of a catch in the stands (hello, Steve Bartman).
On Tuesday night in the Bronx, a Yankees fan took it to a new level when he literally grabbed Mookie Betts’ glove after the Dodgers left fielder made a catch along the wall in foul territory and ripped the ball away.
"Well, A for effort."
Fan interference was called on this play where a Yankee fan tried to take the ball out of Mookie Betts' glove after an out. pic.twitter.com/iZ6taImncd
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 30, 2024
As John Smoltz noted on the broadcast, that’s one of the fastest ways to get kicked out of a World Series game, and despite the effort, the Dodgers still got the out by virtue of the interference. At the same time, this fan has now impacted a 2024 World Series game about as much as Aaron Judge has, so I guess he has that going for him. When you’re down 3-0 in the series and 2-0 after the top of the first inning (because Freddie Freeman homered, again) desperation sets in, but this was not the best way to handle it.
