Dodgers satisfied with World Series fan interference penalty

On By Littum

Teoscar Hernandez might have been amused in real time as he watched two fans try to pry the ball from his teammate during Game 4 of the World Series, but upon further review, the Dodgers outfielder realized the potential gravity of the situation.

“I’ve never seen anything like this, but now that I see the pictures and the videos and all that, it’s kind of crazy that’s happening,” Hernandez said Wednesday before Game 5 of the World Series at Yankee Stadium.

Mookie Betts, running toward a right-field wall, was disturbed by two fans as he reached over the fence trying to catch Gleyber Torres’ errant pop-up in the first inning.

When Betts caught the ball, a fan grabbed Betts’ glove and fumbled to pry it open.

Betts’ right wrist was grabbed by another fan, leaving Betts momentarily suspended in the air.

The ball bounced out, but Torres was ruled out for fan interference.

Mookie Betts #50 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits the ball on a foul ball by Gleyber Torres #25 of the New York Yankees as fans rip the ball out of his glove during the first inning. Jason Szenes / New York Post
The fans were banned from World Series Game 5. Jason Szenes / New York Post

The fans, identified as Austin Capobianco and John Peter, were ejected from the ballpark, and on Wednesday the Yankees ruled that both were barred from Yankee Stadium for the rest of the World Series.

The Yankees redistributed the Game 5 tickets held by the two ejected fans (plus others in that section) to a pediatric cancer patient and his family, the club said.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was pleased with the result.

“We didn’t need them to be here, so (the Yankees) refunded their tickets,” Roberts said. “So it’s perfect, right?”

Follow The Post’s coverage of the Yankees in the postseason:

But Roberts said he wasn’t overly concerned about his players’ safety heading into Wednesday.

“If there’s one player that I don’t think is worried, it’s Mookie, because he’s played a lot of games in this ballpark,” Roberts said, referring to the former Red Sox star. “It was just an unfortunate circumstance. I’m glad it was handled the right way.”

Manager Dave Roberts of the Los Angeles Dodgers looks on before pitching against the New York Yankees during game three of the 2024 World Series at Yankee Stadium on October 28, 2024 in the Bronx borough of New York City. Getty Images

Hernandez also played down the possibility of another incident.

“Yankee fans, they’re really passionate about this team,” Hernandez said. “They go hard on the players, but I don’t think there’s anything to worry about. I played here for six years against the Yankees and I never saw anything go wrong with the opposing team, so I don’t think it’s the case today.”

But Hernandez agreed that discipline was warranted.

“Fans know they can’t do what they did (Tuesday) night,” he said. “But they’re really into it, they’re big fans and they care a lot about this team. It happens, but unfortunately for (the ousted fans), they’re going to think about that game last night for a long time.”

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez (37) speaks in a press conference after game two against the New York Yankees in the 2024 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium. Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn images

Alex Verdugo had plenty of experience playing at Yankee Stadium as a visitor with the Red Sox before being traded to the Yankees.

The veteran outfielder said the fan interference was “extreme” in this case, but not a reason to worry about the players’ safety.

“I feel like that’s what you expect out here,” Verdugo said. “You expect some unique things. At the end of the day, I didn’t feel like it was too serious. I think Mookie shook it off too. It’s just a kind of passion that New Yorkers have.”