Two New York Yankees fans who were ejected from Tuesday night’s Game 4 for interfering with Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts will not return to their right-field seats for tonight’s game. It became.
Despite initial allegations to ESPN, season ticket holders Austin Capobianco and his friend Jon Peter will not be allowed to return to the ballpark for Wednesday’s Game 5, the Yankees announced.
“The Yankees and Major League Baseball maintain a zero-tolerance policy for conduct such as that exhibited last night,” the Yankees said in a statement. “These fans will not be allowed to attend tonight’s game in any capacity.”
The Yankees said the fans’ behavior was “terrible and unacceptable.”
Capobianco appeared to suggest to ESPN after the game that he knew he had done something wrong but had no regrets. “I patrol that wall and they know it,” he said.
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The bizarre play occurred in the bottom of the first inning on a foul fly off the bat of Yankees leadoff batter Gleyber Torres.
Capobianco said he and Peter talked a lot about what to do in that situation.
“We’re not going to go out of our way to attack. If it’s in our area, we’re going to attack as hard as we can,” he told ESPN. “Somebody’s going to defend, somebody’s going to knock the ball. We’re talking about it. We’re willing to do that.”
MLB’s interference rules allow fans to attempt to catch balls in seating areas, but if a fan intentionally prevents a fielder from catching the ball, umpires have the option of calling the batter out. be. In the end, Betts made the catch before the ball was ripped from his glove, and Torres was called to play.
“The safety and security of our players, fans and stadium staff is a fundamental element of any event held at Yankee Stadium and cannot be sacrificed,” the Yankees said in a statement.
“Tonight is our last home game of the year, and we want to unleash the full power of our fan passion. Yankee Stadium is known for its energy and intensity, but the enthusiasm of rooting for your team is , can’t cross the line of intentionally attacking the players’ physical risk. ”
“Since last night’s incident, we have been in regular contact with the league’s security personnel and will be closely following the response to the incident and any protective measures taken going forward,” MLBPA Executive Director Tony Clark said in a statement. said.
This article has been updated with new information and headings.
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