The Most Notable Fan Interference Games in MLB History: From Steve Bartman to Mookie Betts

When fans go to the ballpark, the hope of returning home with a baseball souvenir is usually at the top of their wish list. A physical reminder of your time as a fan can help cement memories of the game and be shared with those close to you.

When a baseball leaves the field, fans will fight to claim the prized ball, even more so if the ball has a good story attached to it – like a ball used in a World Series game.

But the key factor in a fan becoming the legal owner of a ball used in an MLB game is that it must no longer be a live game ball.

That wasn't the case Tuesday in Game 4 of the World Series between the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In the bottom of the first, Yankees leadoff hitter Gleyber Torres hit a high fly ball into foul territory near the right field wall. But moments after Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts caught the ball with his glove over the padded wall, a fan in the front row of the stands, identified as Austin Capobianco, grabbed Betts' glove with both hands, opened it, grabbed it in and knocked the ball back onto the field. The referees ruled that the game fans had intervened and Torres was eliminated.

Capobianco and another fan have since been barred from attending Game 5 by the MLB.

This wasn't the first time a fan disrupted play during an MLB game, and most likely it won't be the last. Here are five other notable times:

The Steve Bartman incident, 2003 NLCS

Perhaps the most memorable fan interference in MLB history occurred in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series between the Chicago Cubs and Florida Marlins in October 2003. With the Cubs running late, the Marlins' Luis Castillo hit a fly ball into foul territory left field line. Chicago outfielder Moises Alou attempted to make a catch near the wall, but Cubs fan Steve Bartman reached over the wall over the outfielder. The result was that the ball deflected off Bartman's glove and Alou was unable to catch the ball. The referee ruled against fan interference in the game.

The Cubs' defense collapsed, giving up eight runs in the inning and losing the game 8-3 and the series in seven games.

Later, Bartman was heavily criticized by the public and media for his interference, forcing him to go into hiding to avoid unwanted attention.

Cubs fan Steve Bartman became a household name after his attempt to catch a baseball that was still in play failed. (Morry Gash/Associated Press)

Jeffrey Maier hits home run off Derek Jeter, 1996 ALCS

In Game 1 of the 1996 ALCS, Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter hit a game-winning home run in the eighth inning with some help from Yankees fan Jeffrey Maier. New York was down a run when Jeter hit a ball deep into right field. Baltimore Orioles outfielder Tony Tarasco had a chance to catch the ball when Maier, then 12, reached over the wall to catch the ball.

Tarasco and Orioles teammates challenged the play, but the umpires refused to overturn the decision and the home run stood. New York won the series 4-1.

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What did the Yankees' most famous fan troublemaker think about Tuesday's World Series incident?

A Boston Red Sox fan attacks Gary Sheffield of the Yankees

The rivalry between the Yankees and Red Sox runs deep, and in April 2005 the feud spilled into the stands. While attempting to throw a ball in the eighth inning, Yankees outfielder Gary Sheffield got into a brief altercation with a Red Sox fan. The fan, who was ejected from the game but not arrested, according to the Associated Press, lashed out at Sheffield as he approached the stands to track down the ball. “Something hit me in the mouth. It felt like a hand,” Sheffield said after the game, according to the AP. “I thought my lip was busted.”

In retaliation, Sheffield pushed the fan, but the altercation ended there.

Yankee fan grabs Betts' arm and glove, 2024 World Series

This is considered one of the most notable not only because it is one of the most recent, but also because of the way the piece has evolved. Betts obviously had the ball in his glove and the fans both tried to pull the ball out and grabbed his arm.

The game was ruled fan interference, but the Yankees won Game 4 11-4.

Houston Astros fan disrupts Betts' glove, 2018 ALCS

Tuesday night's Game 4 wasn't the first time Betts was forced to deal with fan interference near the wall. As a Red Sox outfielder in 2018, facing the Astros in Houston in Game 4 of the ALCS, Betts jumped into the wall and extended his arm and glove to grab a would-be home run off the bat of Astros shortstop Jose Altuve .

As Betts dove for the ball near the right field wall, a fan identified as Troy Caldwell interfered with Betts' glove, causing the game to be disrupted.

Altuve was ruled out for the play, which would have meant a two-run home run. The Red Sox took a 3-1 lead in the series after winning the series 8-6 and 4-1.

Required reading

(Top photo: Elsa / Getty Images)