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The Dodgers’ stars were outraged by the Yankees fans’ interference incident
Tennessee

The Dodgers’ stars were outraged by the Yankees fans’ interference incident

Dodgers players and staff told The Post that the Yankees should severely punish their two fans who aggressively grabbed Mookie Betts’ glove and arm in Game 4, and a few Dodgers suggested that the duo never go inside a ballpark again should see.

The Yankees removed the pair, identified as Austin Capobianco and John Peter, who attempted to remove the ball hit by Gleyber Torres from Betts’ glove in the first inning. The team also took away its Game 5 tickets and gave them to a pediatric cancer patient, his younger brothers and his mother and is considering further action, a Yankees spokesman said.

“It should be an immediate lifetime ban. They should never be allowed into a ballpark again,” Dodgers star Max Muncy told The Post. “If it’s a coincidence that you’re trying to catch the ball and you bump into a (player), that’s one thing. But in this scenario, two guys try to grab Mookie’s glove and then his hand – that’s a lifetime ban.

Mookie Betts #50 of the Los Angeles Dodgers catches a foul ball from Gleyber Torres #25 of the New York Yankees as fans rip the ball out of his glove in the first inning. Jason Scenes/New York Post

“This is borderline bodily harm. You could file (charges) for that,” Muncy added.

A few other Dodgers people wondered what would have happened if Betts had been injured in the incident, which isn’t out of the question considering he was in the air and had his arms outstretched. Had he been injured, those two fans might have spoiled the entire World Series, like the 2017 Astros championship, a few other Dodgers people mentioned. (The Dodgers were the ones who lost the 2017 World Series.)

“It was absolutely ridiculous – a lifetime ban, whatever it is, there has to be some disciplinary action,” Dodgers infielder Gavin Lux said. “You can’t grab a player’s arm and hold it. There’s no room for that.”

The fans, speaking to ESPN, showed no remorse and even suggested it was premeditated, with one of them telling the broadcaster: “We always joke about the ball in our area.” We won’t bother to attack. If it’s in our area, we’ll ramp up “D.”

Mookie Betts #50 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts after catching a foul ball from Gleyber Torres #25 of the New York Yankees as fans rip the ball out of his glove in the first inning. Jason Scenes/New York Post

Some Dodgers people commented on how lucky we all were that Betts was uninjured. Betts himself declined to talk about it before Game 5, saying only, “I don’t care.”

“Luckily Mookie is okay, that’s the biggest thing,” Muncy said.

Teoscar Hernandez was amused in real time, but upon closer inspection, the Dodgers outfielder realized the potential gravity of the situation.

“I’ve never seen anything like this before, but now that I see the pictures and videos and all that stuff, it’s a little crazy what’s happening,” Hernandez said. “…Fans know they can’t do what they did (Tuesday) night.”

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was pleased with the result.

“We didn’t need them here, so (the Yankees) refunded their tickets,” Roberts said. “So this is perfect, right?”

The YAnkees gave the seats previously occupied by the disruptive fans to a pediatric cancer patient and his family. Jason Scenes/New York Post

Alex Verdugo had plenty of experience at Yankee Stadium as a guest of the Red Sox before joining the Yankees. The veteran outfielder said the fan interference in this case was “extreme” but not a reason to worry about the players’ safety.

“I feel like that’s what you expect out here,” Verdugo said. “You expect some unique things. At the end of the day I didn’t feel like it was too serious. I think Mookie kind of shook it off too. That’s just the passion of New Yorkers.”

Some Dodgers disagreed, expressing dismay that the boys in Yankees gear received a hero’s welcome from some around them. They weren’t happy about that.

“Everyone high-fives them — that’s no reason to high-five,” Muncy said. “You could have really hurt our right fielder.”

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