New York Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo, who was traded from the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Boston Red Sox for Mookie Betts in 2020, defended the fans who interfered with Betts in Game 4 of the World Series on Tuesday.

In the bottom of the first inning of Tuesday’s game, two fans grabbed Betts’ arm and glove as he tried to catch a foul ball. The fans tried to snatch the ball from his hands and eventually succeeded. However, the play was canceled and the fans were subsequently escorted out of the stadium.

After the game, Betts was ready to move on from the incident.

“When it comes to the person in the game, it doesn’t matter,” Betts said. “We lost. It doesn’t matter. I’m fine. He’s fine. Everything’s cool. We lost the game and I’m kind of focused on that.”

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The Yankees were initially expected to allow fans back into the stadium for Game 5, but MLB then reportedly asked them to ban the fans. The Yankees agreed.

While the fans’ banishment for Game 5 felt like fair punishment, Verdugo doesn’t exactly agree.

Verdugo was asked about the incident before Game 5 and said he “didn’t think it was too serious.”

“I’ve seen it. It might have been one of the more extreme ways to rip a ball out. But at the same time, that’s kind of New York. I feel like that’s what you expect here. You expect some unique things .” ‘, said Verdugo.

‘In the end I didn’t feel like it was too serious. I think Mookie kind of shook it off too. That’s just kind of a passion, I think, that New Yorkers have.”

Verdugo was also asked if he thought it was fair for fans to be excluded from Game 5.

‘Don’t know. It is what it is, right?’ Verdugo said. “I wouldn’t have any problem with it if they were here today or if they weren’t here. Ultimately, MLB thought they wanted to do that, and they have to show some sort of, I guess, disciplinary action, so it’s what it is.”

Speaking to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers, one of the fans – Austin Capobianco – said he and his friend always planned to do something like this.

“We always joke about the ball in our area,” Capobianco told Rogers. ‘We’re not going to go out of our way to attack. If it’s in our area, we’ll go to ‘D’.

“Someone defends, someone knocks the ball. We talk about it. We are willing to do this.”

Here’s the full statement from the Yankees on Wednesday morning:

Last night, two fans were ejected from Yankee Stadium for blatant and unacceptable physical contact with Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts.

“The safety and security of players, fans and stadium personnel is the fundamental element of any event held at Yankee Stadium, and it should not be compromised.

“Tonight is the last home game of the year and we want every ounce of our fans’ passion to be on display. Yankee Stadium is known for its energy and intensity, but the exuberance of supporting your team can never cross the line by players deliberately put in the wrong place.” physical risk.

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

First pitch for Wednesday night’s Game 5 is scheduled for 5:08 PM PT/8:08 PM ET.

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