43°
Should the fan be banned from Yankees' games?
- Yes
- No
- Undecided
Original: The New York Yankees fan who ripped the ball from a Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder's glove when it went over the right field wall in Game 4 of the World Series in the Bronx told reporters he'd planned to do it, according to The Athletic.
Connecticut resident Austin Capobianco, age 38, of Branford in New Haven County, and a man sitting next to him, were ejected from the game Tuesday, Oct. 29, after they pulled open Mookie Betts' glove and yanked out the caught foul ball to prevent an out, the Athletic Reported.
Capobianco and the men around him argued their case to the umpire, but the out still counted and their tickets no longer did. They were removed from Yankee Stadium in the bottom of the first inning, missing the most electric game of the series for the Bronx Bombers.
The Yanks went on to win 11-4 and now trail the Dodgers in the best-of-seven series three games to one.
Capobianco, a Yankees season ticket holder, told ESPN at a bar following his ejection that they had always planned to protect their section of the wall.
"We always joke about the ball in our area," Capobianco told the outlet. "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."
Darren Capobianco, Austin's brother, said he thought the foul ball was fair game and said Betts had crossed the line in how he reacted.
“I just see the ball kind of — I don’t want to say (go) up for grabs — if that makes sense,” he told The Athletic. “And then Mookie was swearing at us. Not good.”
Austin Capobianco is either a hero or the villain of this story, depending on your feelings toward the Yankees. The photo of the moment became an instant meme, and now major podcasters like Barstool Sports' "Pardon My Take" are trying to book interviews with him.
Many have compared Austin to Steve Bartman, the Cubs fan who interfered with a foul ball during the 2003 National League Championship Game in Chicago.
Daily Voice Assistant Managing Editor Zak Failla contributed to this report.
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