"This is inexcusable" - Yankees fan grabbing Mookie Betts, trying to steal ball from Dodgers catcher in WS Game 4 infuriates Andre Agassi's ex-coach
Andre Agassi's former coach Brad Gilbert reacted as a New York Yankees fan tried to steal the ball from Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Mookie Betts in Game 4 of the World Series on Tuesday. With the Yankees down 3-0 in the series, the need to win spilled out to the crowd at the Yankee Stadium in a bizarre moment that involved Dodgers outfielder Betts.
In the very first at-bat of the game for New York, leadoff hitter Gleyber Torres hit Dodgers pitcher Ben Casparius on 1-0 count for a line drive towards deep right field. The ball was well tracked by Betts who caught it leaping just before the fence.
A Yankees fan who was closest to Betts' glove tried to take it away from him. Another seated right beside him tried to forcibly open the former MVP's fist as the ball fell out of his hand. Umpires immediately intervened, with Betts seemingly frustrated. The fans in the stands tried to reason that the ball had already crossed the fence area, while Torres was called out for fan interference.
There were some furious reactions towards the two fans. Popular tennis analyst and Agassi's former coach Gilbert said that something like this shouldn't be tolerated. As per reports, both fans were immediately ejected.
"Are you kidding me? This is inexcusable from Yankee fan," Gilbert wrote.
Second fan interference incident for New York Yankees' Gleyber Torres this World Series
This was the second interference call Gleyber Torres has faced in four games of the World Series. In the first game, with the score tied at 2-2 and 2 outs in the inning, Torres hit a Michael Kopech pitch towards left field.
The trajectory of the ball would have let it hit the fence and bounce back but a fan caught it in front of the fence. The 27-year-old was given a double as a result of interference.
At the time of writing, the Yankees lead 11-4 in the bottom of the eighth inning. With the huge lead, New York seem to have forced a Game 5, stopping the Dodgers from sweeping them in front of their fans.