Yankees fan who ripped ball from Mookie Betts breaks silence

The Yankees fan who attempted to rip the ball from Mookie Betts' glove has spoken out after being ejected from the World Series in dramatic scenes. 

Game 4 in the Bronx took an incredible turn when Betts leaped towards the stands to catch a hit from LA Dodgers star Gleyber Torres at the bottom of the first. 

After Torres snagged the ball, a New York fan - later identified as Austin Capobianco - forcefully tried to snatch it from his glove with both hands. His friend, John Peter, then grabbed Betts' non-glove hand. 

After the ball eventually flew out of his glove and onto the field, it was ruled fan interference and an out. 

'He won't be watching the game for much longer,' an announcer on Fox Sports said shortly before the two supporters were escorted out of the stadium by security. 

Later Copabianco, a 38-year-old season ticket holder from Connecticut, broke his silence, telling ESPN that while he knew he would immediately be in trouble for his actions, he and his friend had gamed out similar scenarios in the past. 

'We always joke about the ball in our area,' Capobianco told the sports outlet at a local bar after the game. '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.' 

'I know when I'm in the wrong and as soon as I did it, I was like, "Boys I'm out of here,"' Capobianco told ESPN, adding: 'I patrol that wall and they know that.' 

Read More

MLB fans gush over Ashanti's World Series performance... a day after Fat Joe was roasted

Yankees fans booed as the two fans were led out of the stadium, with some offering them high-fives and handshakes. It is thought they could lose their season ticket or even face a possible ban from Yankee Stadium.

After the game, which ended in an 11-4 win for the Yankees, Betts was asked about the incident. 

'It doesn't matter. We lost. It's irrelevant,' said the 32-year-old, who was caught up in a similar incident back in 2018.

'I'm fine, he's fine. Everything's cool. We lost the game, that's what I'm kind of focused on.' 

But Betts' teammate Ben Casparius believes the clash 'set the tone' for the game. '  

'I've never seen anything like it,' the Dodgers pitcher said. 'It was obviously very early in the game so I think it kind of set the tone.' 

Tommy Edman, meanwhile, branded it 'unacceptable' and 'ridiculous': 'The guy was trying to yank his glove off and pulled on his wrist and it looked like he got ejected, which I'm glad he did. That was unacceptable for a fan.'

Kansas City Royals star Tommy Pham gave a brutal response when asked by The Athletic how he would have reacted if he was Betts. 'Buddy touching me would be a problem. Keep your hands to yourself,' he said.

Capobianco's brother, Darren, 29, insisted that he saw Betts' glove go over the wall as he tried to make the catch. 

'I just see the ball kind of — I don't want to say (go) up for grabs,' Darren told The Athletic. 'And then Mookie was swearing at us. Not good.'

Betts could be seen complaining to the umpires, while the fans pleaded their innocence.  

Copabianco could be seen gritting his teeth as he tried to wrestle the ball out of Betts' grip, while Peter to his left held the player's other wrist. 

Remarkably, it was not the first time this series that fans have interfered with a hit from Torres. 

In the ninth inning of Game 1, Yankees supporters were left furious after a Dodgers fan caught a potential go-ahead homer. Los Angeles went on to win the game in dramatic fashion.  

'Oh man that's dangerous,' one fan wrote after Betts' clash with the supporter. 'Those fans should be banned for life. No excuse for touching a player.'

'I'd ban him for life. I'm a Yankees fan and it was gross,' another added.

'As a Yankee fan I am embarrassed to see this despicable behavior,' a third said.

Other fans branded the pair 'morons' and 'a**holes', with one even claiming they should be charged with assault.

But Ana Flamengo, a Yankees fan from Connecticut, thanked Copabianco for his efforts.

'I saw him being walked out,' Flamengo told The Athletic. 'I told him he was my hero for trying to save the Yankees. It's the championship game.'

The Yankees overcame an early deficit and avoided getting swept with an 11-4 win at home. 

The two teams face off in the Bronx again on Wednesday night and if the Yankees win, the series heads back to Los Angeles on Friday.