Major League Baseball is coming down hard on the fans who were involved in the World Series interference incident with Mookie Betts.
Dan Martin of the New York Post reported on Friday that Major League Baseball has issued an “indefinite” ban from all MLB games to Austin Capobianco and John P. Hansen. Capobianco and Hansen were the fans who ripped the ball out of the glove of Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts in Game 4 of the 2024 World Series at Yankee Stadium.
“Your conduct posed a serious risk to the health and safety of the player and went far over the line of acceptable fan behavior,” read an MLB letter that was written to the fans and later obtained by the New York Post. “Based on your conduct, Major League Baseball is banning you indefinitely from all MLB stadiums, offices, and other facilities.”
Martin notes that Capobianco and Hansen were using the seats of a Yankees’ season-ticket holder who has owned the tickets since 1990. That season-ticket holder was not in attendance at the time and will thus be allowed to keep the seats.
In the first inning of that World Series game, then-Yankees infielder Gleyber Torres sliced a ball toward the right field seats, and Betts came down with the catch. However, Capobianco physically ripped open Betts’ glove and pried the ball loose while Hansen grabbed Betts’ arm to prevent him from fighting back (video here). Umpire Mark Carlson immediately signaled for fan interference though, and Torres was called out. The Dodgers would lose that game 11-4 but took Game 5 at Yankee Stadium on the next night to win the World Series.
Capobianco and Hansen, who were initially just banned from attending that Game 5, revealed afterwards that their actions were pre-planned. But now the two have been banned from all MLB activities indefinitely while Betts managed to get the last laugh on them, both by winning the World Series and then by sending a vulgar message to Capobianco and Hansen later.
