Dodgers star Mookie Betts has shared his reaction to the stunning moment in World Series Game 4 when a Yankees fan tried to snatch the ball from his hand.
Betts was forced to reach the stands to catch a foul ball from New York’s Gleyber Torres in the bottom of the first inning, although fan Austin Capobianco tried (unsuccessfully) to disrupt the play and spare the Yankees an out.
Betts appeared irritated by the incident immediately after it occurred, but struck a different tone when speaking after his team’s eventual 11-4 defeat.
“It doesn’t matter, we lost,” he said told reporters. “It didn’t matter.”
In addition to Capobianco trying to take the ball from Betts, his friend John Peter also grabbed the All-Star’s arm.
Dodgers star Mookie Betts had to fight off a fan who tried to wrestle the ball out of his glove
But he insisted after the game that the moment was “irrelevant” after the Dodgers lost 11-4
Betts was asked if he was injured during the game, but said he was not.
“I didn’t even know he took my hand, so [my hand] is perfectly fine,” he said.
Betts’ teammate Tommy Edman, however, reacted much more strongly to the fans’ interference.
“The guy tried to take off his glove and pull his wrist and it looked like he was being sent away, and I’m glad he did that. That was unacceptable for a fan.”
Betts’ teammate Ben Casparius added that he believed the collision “set the tone” for the match. ‘
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” the Dodgers pitcher said. “Obviously it was very early in the game, so I think it set the tone.”
After the action – which was disallowed as a nil despite Capobianco’s best efforts – he and his friend were sent off, although the former later admitted to ESPN that he knew his actions would land him in hot water.
“In our area we always joke about the ball,” Capobianco told the sports shop at a local bar after the match. “We’re not going to go out of our way to attack. If it’s in our region, we’ll go to ‘D’.
Austin Capobianco (left), a season ticket holder from Connecticut, was ejected for his antics
Betts reacts after Freddie Freeman hits a two-run home run in the first inning
‘Someone defends, someone knocks the ball. We talk about it. We are prepared to do this.’
“I know when I’m wrong and as soon as I did it I thought, ‘Guys, I’m out of here,’” Capobianco added. “I patrol that wall and they know it.”
Remarkably, this wasn’t the first time in this series that fans got involved with a Torres hit.
In the ninth inning of Game 1, Yankees fans were left outraged after a Dodgers fan caught a potential go-ahead homer, which was ultimately ruled a double before New York lost a heartbreaker in extra innings.
The Yankees will now look to keep their momentum going in a must-win Game 5 on Wednesday.