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Amid a New York Yankees offensive barrage in Game 4 of the World Series, an incident you have to see to believe occurred that's stirred more drama than it needs to. As Mookie Betts completed a catch along the wall in foul territory down the right field line at Yankee Stadium, two fans grabbed and pulled at his arm, trying to rip the ball out of Betts' glove.
It was an insane moment watched by millions and resulted in the ejection of both fans who touched the Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder. The fans, Austin Capobianco and John Peters, played the scenario out in their heads before.
“We always joke about the ball in our area,” Capobianco, 38, told ESPN. “We're not going to go out of our way to attack. If it's in our area, we're going to ‘D' up.
“Someone defends, someone knocks the ball. We talk about it. We're willing to do this.”
It's unclear how Capobianco delivered the quote, but he's obviously very passionate about the Yankees. There's no excuse for going at a player like that and they knew the consequences as soon as everything took place.
Thankfully, the umpires got the call right and everything was sorted in a timely manner. Betts was visibly upset after the incident but played it down following the 11-4 Yankees win.
Yankees stay alive with offensive outburst
It might have come too late, but this is what the Yankees needed to get back into the series. The lineup was aching for any production having been held to seven runs across the first three games of the World Series.
Their 11 runs scored Tuesday night were the most the Yankees have scored in a playoff game since the 2020 Wild Card Series.
Yankees hitters needed confidence they could still get on base and drive in runs. They'll at least come ready to play the rest of the series, but winning three more is no guarantee. It's hard to blame the Yankees and their fans for getting overly optimistic after the offense figured it out and the outlook of the rest of the series.
The Yankees will feel confident entering Game 5 with Gerrit Cole on the mound. A win to send the series back to Los Angeles would motivate the Yanks even more because they might as well make the return trip worthwhile.
The obstacle remains the same. Win four World Series games in a row. Phase one was completed Tuesday night and it might have been the easiest one the Yankees will face.
The Dodgers were coming home anyway, although they might have expected to do so with the trophy in hand. That is still a possibility, but regardless the Dodgers shouldn’t be too worried unless the Yankees force a seventh game.
