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Yankees treat pediatric cancer patient to banned fans’ World Series seats

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Yankees treat pediatric cancer patient to banned fans’ World Series seats

The Yankees are turning a bad Game 4 moment into a Game 5 positive.

The team donated the tickets previously held by fans banned from Yankees Stadium for aggressively interfering with Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts to Calvin Young, 15, a pediatric cancer patient and his family for Wednesday night’s World Series game.

The goodwill gesture comes on the heels of the Game 4 incident, which occurred when infielder Gleyber Torres sent a fly ball down the left-field line.

As Betts went to make a play on the ball, fan Austin Capobianco pried open the Dodgers stars’ glove while his seatmate John Peter, grabbed the outfielder’s right wrist.

Fans aggressively try wrestle the ball out of Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts’ glove as he attempts to catch a foul ball from the Yankees’ Gleyber Torres in the first inning in Game 4 of the World Series at Yankee Stadium in New York City on Tuesday, October 29, 2024. John Angelillo/UPI/Shutterstock
Mookie Betts #50 of the Los Angeles Dodgers makes a catch 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

Torres was ruled out due to fan interference, while Capobianco and Peter were kicked out of the stadium.

“We always joke about the ball in our area,” Capobianco, a Yankees season ticket-holder 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.”

They’ll have to find a new place to watch Game 5 after the Yankees released a statement on Wednesday, saying the safety of all those inside the stadium “cannot be compromised” and the two fans were ejected for their “egregious and unacceptable physical contact” with Bett, leading to the ban for Game 5.

Mookie Betts #50 of the Los Angeles Dodgers makes a catch 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 Yankees and Major League Baseball maintain a zero-tolerance policy toward the type of behavior displayed last night. These fans will not be permitted to attend tonight’s game in any capacity,” the organization said.


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Prior to Game 5, Alex Verdugo commented on the situation and said it’s not exactly abnormal of New York fans.

Mookie Betts reacts after he makes a catch on a foul ball by Gleyber Torres as fans rip the ball out of his glove. Jason Szenes / New York Post

“I saw it. Maybe one of the more extreme, trying to rip a ball out, but at the same time, that’s kinda New York,” he said. “I feel like that’s what you expect out here. 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. You know, that’s just kind of the passion I guess New Yorkers have.”

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