MLB did the right thing, and so did the Yankees. The fans who interfered with Mookie Betts on Tuesday night were told in no uncertain terms on Wednesday that they would no longer be welcome at Game 5. They were told they would be arrested if they tried.

“The safety and security of players, fans and stadium personnel is the fundamental element of any event held at Yankee Stadium, and this should not be compromised,” the Yankees said in a statement Wednesday afternoon.

“(Wednesday night) marks the last home game of the year, and we want every ounce of our fans’ passion to be shown. Yankee Stadium is known for its energy and intensity, but the exuberance of supporting a team can never cross the line and deliberately put players in physical danger.

“The Yankees and Major League Baseball maintain a zero-tolerance policy toward the type of behavior exhibited last night. These fans will not be allowed to attend tonight’s match in any capacity.”

No matter how many times MLB tries to contain these incidents, they never really go away. And even though Jeffrey Maier is now a 40-year-old New Hampshire resident who still cares about the Yankees, it seems people still believe they can be a charming part of the game if they take the chance to go where they are not. is supposed to go.

And I get it. I was part of the problem.

I was there. I was in the scrum. I had hurried down from the main press box, ran through the main concourse to right field, and when I saw the crowd I knew I was in the right place. For me, this was four newspaper jobs ago, but it doesn’t matter. I had an ID around my neck. I had a notebook in my hand.

I was one of those who asked Jeffrey Maier, “How does it feel to be part of baseball history?”

I wrote happily about a twelve-year-old who became part of Yankee lore.

I own that. I was part of the problem. The next day Maier was a national celebrity and a local hero: “Angel in the Outfield!” was one of the headlines.

And Maier — who now goes by Jeff, as a 40-year-old should — spoke with The Post’s Mark Sanchez a few days ago about the moment he snatched a Derek Jeter flyball from Baltimore’s Tony Tarasco, and a little while before that What all he had done was get a point for the Yankees – a vital point, as it turned out, because it tied Game 1 and forced extra innings.

If you search newspapers.com for October 10, 1996, the day after, you’ll see that some 244 different news organizations had Jeffrey’s name in their stories about Game 1. Baseball wasn’t nearly as amused – with good reason. Fan interference is a terrible – and potentially dangerous – thing. In the coming years, the rule would be clarified and strengthened.

Repetition would more sharply define the line between “the fan’s place” and “the player’s place,” which is another reason why the way Chicago shut out poor Steve Bartman – who didn’t cross the barrier, he just had the bad luck to put his glove in the way of Moises Alou – was so shameful seven years later. And ballparks have tried to create more space between players and fans.

Just not enough.

That’s why Austin Capobianco and John Peter got their 15 minutes of fame Tuesday night, because they managed to break the barrier and actually get a baseball out of Mookie Betts’ glove — “wrestled it away” is actually more accurate.

And at that moment they were celebrated by some. It even caused Dodgers pitcher Ben Casparius to suggest that it “set the tone for the evening.”

“We always joke about the ball in our environment,” the 38-year-old Capobianco told ESPN after being sent off on Tuesday. “We are not going to go out of our way to attack. If it’s in our area, we’re going to make a ‘D.’

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Only they were out of the way and out of step. They leaned toward the playing field. Even Capobianco seemed to notice this.

“I know when I’m wrong, and as soon as I did it, I was like, ‘Guys, I’m out of here.'”

Of course, this all happened just four days after a fan at Dodger Stadium also interfered and caught a Gleyber Torres drive before it could get over the fence. He was sent away so quickly that he had already disappeared by the time the media dutifully sought him out.

“It probably worked in my favor that it helped the home team,” Maier told Sánchez afterwards, and he’s right. It also helped that he was 12 years oldand just worked on instinct, trying to catch a baseball coming his way. He wasn’t a grown man who wanted to compete, hinting a day later that he would return for Game 5.

Good for MLB and the Yankees for putting the kibosh on that. He’s lucky they agreed to a refund.