When fans go to the ballpark, the hope of returning home with a souvenir baseball is usually at the top of every bucket list. A physical reminder of your time as a fan can help you capture memories of the game and share them with your loved ones.

When a baseball leaves the field of play, fans will rush to claim the prized possession, especially if there is a good story associated with the ball – like one used in a World Series game.

But the most important part of a fan becoming the rightful owner of a ball used in an MLB game is that it can no longer be a live game ball.

That was not the case on Tuesday in Game 4 of the World Series between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers.

In the bottom of the first inning, Yankees leadoff hitter Gleyber Torres hit a fly ball into foul territory near the right field wall. But just after Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts caught the ball with his glove above the padded wall, a fan sitting in the front row of the stands, identified as Austin Capobianco, grabbed Betts’ glove with both hands, opened it, reached went in and knocked. the ball back onto the field. The referees ruled there was fan interference and Torres was eliminated.

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

This wasn’t the first time a fan has interfered in a game during an MLB game, and it likely won’t be the last. Here are five other notable times:

The Steve Bartman Incident, NLCS 2003

Perhaps the most memorable fan interference in MLB history occurred during Game 6 of the National League Championship Series between the Chicago Cubs and Florida Marlins in October 2003. With the Cubs running late, Luis Castillo of the Marlins knocked in a fly ball. foul territory along the left field line. Chicago outfielder Moises Alou tried to make a catch near the wall, but Cubs fan Steve Bartman reached over the wall above the outfielder. The result was a deflected ball off Bartman’s glove, with Alou unable to make the catch. The referee ruled that there was no fan interference during the game.

The Cubs defense collapsed, giving up eight runs in the inning, and would lose the game 8–3 and the series in seven games.

Bartman was later scrutinized by the public and media for his interference, to the point that he had to go into hiding to avoid the unwanted attention.

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

Jeffrey Maier takes home run from Derek Jeter, ALCS 1996

In Game 1 of the 1996 ALCS, Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter hit an eighth-inning home run with a little help from Yankees fan Jeffrey Maier. New York trailed by one run when Jeter hit a ball deep into right field. Baltimore Orioles outfielder Tony Tarasco went back with a chance to make the catch when Maier, who was 12 at the time, reached over the wall to make the catch.

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

GO DEEPER

What did the most famous Yankees fan interject think about Tuesday’s World Series incident?

Boston Red Sox fan waves to Gary Sheffield of the Yankees

The rivalry between the Yankees and the Red Sox runs deep, and in April 2005 the feud spilled into the stands. While attempting to field a ball in the eighth inning, Yankees outfielder Gary Sheffield got into a brief scuffle with a Red Sox fan. The fan, who was ejected from the game but not arrested according to the Associated Press, waved 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 AP. “I thought my lip was busted.”

Sheffield pushed the fan in retaliation, but that’s where the altercation ended.

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

This lands as one of the most notable, not only because it’s one of the newest, but also based on how the piece unfolded. Betts clearly had the ball in his glove and the fans both tried to pull the ball out and grabbed his arm.

The play was ruled fan interference, but the Yankees won Game 4 11–4.

Houston Astros fan interferes with Betts’ glove, ALCS 2018

Tuesday night’s Game 4 wasn’t the first time Betts faced interference from fans near the wall. As an outfielder for the Red Sox in 2018, facing the Astros in Houston during 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 lunged for the ball near the right-field wall, a fan, identified as Troy Caldwell, interfered with Betts’ glove, resulting in an on-play interference call.

Altuve was ruled out on the play in lieu of what would have been a two-run home run. The Red Sox took a 3-1 series lead after winning 8-6 and the series 4-1.

Required reading

(Top photo: Elsa/Getty Images)