Sports
Dodger Mookie Betts brushes off Yankee fans ejected after extreme fan interference
NEW YORK — There is fan interference and there is misdemeanor assault, and what happened to Dodgers star Mookie Betts in the right-field corner of Yankee Stadium in the first inning of Tuesday night’s 11-4 World Series Game 4 loss to New York might qualify as the latter.
“I’ve never seen anything like that,” Betts said after the game, frustrated by the Dodgers’ inability to complete a four-game sweep of the Yankees but happy to have avoided serious injury on the play. “But there’s always a first time for a first.”
Gleyber Torres led off the bottom of the first with a fly ball to right that drifted into foul territory. Betts, a six-time Gold Glove Award-winning outfielder, leaped at the high padded wall in foul territory and made the catch between two Yankees fans, one wearing a road gray jersey and the other wearing a home white pinstriped jersey.
But as Betts tried to secure the ball, the fan in the road jersey — identified by the Athletic’s Brendan Kuty as Austin Capobianco, 38, of Connecticut — reached into Betts’ glove in an attempt to pry the ball loose.
The other fan then grabbed the wrist of Betts’ throwing hand and yanked on it so the outfielder couldn’t grab the ball, which squirted out of Betts’ glove and fell onto the dirt warning track. Right-field umpire Mark Carlson immediately called fan interference, and Torres was ruled out.
Capobianco and the other fan, who was not identified, were ejected and escorted from their seats by stadium security, exchanging high-fives and at least one hug with applauding fans as they walked up the aisle.
“Yeah, that looked ridiculous from my perspective,” Dodgers shortstop Tommy Edman said. “The guy was trying to yank his glove off, pulling at his wrist. … It looked like he got ejected, and I’m glad he did. I’ve never seen anything like that. That was unacceptable.”
Betts played the first six years of his big-league career with the Boston Red Sox, on the opposite side of one of baseball’s fiercest rivalries, so he’s used to being the object of scorn in the Bronx. But never in his 11 big-league seasons has he seen fans take such aggressive actions toward a player.
Though he was clearly angry at the fans after the play, he did not harbor any ill will toward them after the game.
“It doesn’t matter, we lost, it’s irrelevant,” Betts said of the play. “I’m fine. [The fan] is fine. Everything’s cool. We lost the game, and that’s what I’m focused on. We gotta turn the page and get ready” for Game 5 on Wednesday.
Dodgers reliever Ben Casparius, who threw the first two innings of a bullpen game Tuesday night, allowing one run and one hit, walking three and striking out one, grew up as a Red Sox fan in Westport, Conn., and said he attended some 50-60 games in Yankee Stadium as a kid, always sporting his Red Sox gear.
Was the right-hander surprised by what happened to Betts?
“No, not at all,” Casparius said. “I think it was an interesting moment, just being a couple of pitches into the game. And obviously, there’s a history with this team and [Mookie] playing for the Red Sox as long as he did. It was kind of like a ‘here we go’ moment early on.”
The Dodgers had a “here we go again” moment in the top of the first when Betts doubled into the right-field corner with one out and Freddie Freeman lined a two-run homer into the right-field seats for a 2-0 lead. It was deja vu all over again for Freeman, who hit a two-run homer in the first inning of Monday night’s 4-2 Game 3 victory.
But the Yankees scored once in the second, and shortstop Anthony Volpe crushed a poorly placed first-pitch slider from Dodgers reliever Daniel Hudson into the left-field seats for a two-out grand slam and a 5-2 lead.
The Dodgers scored twice in the top of the fifth to trim the deficit to 5-4, but New York catcher Austin Wells blasted a solo homer into the second deck in right field in the sixth for a 6-4 lead.
The Yankees then blew the game open with a five-run eighth off Dodgers right-hander Brent Honeywell, a rally that was highlighted by Torres’ three-run homer to right-center.
Struggling Yankees slugger Aaron Judge capped the rally with an RBI single to left after walking, getting hit by a pitch, reaching on an error and flying out to center field in his first four plate appearances.
“They’re gonna fight,” Betts said of the Yankees. “If you made it this far, you have a resilience in you. You’re gonna fight the whole time. We expected that. Obviously, we didn’t play well today, and they did. That’s why they won.
“We’re up three games to one right now. We feel pretty good about it. But no lead is safe until you win the fourth game.”
Sports
Ole Miss staffer references Aaron Hernandez while discussing ‘chaotic’ coaching complications with LSU
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The chaos between LSU coaches who left Ole Miss alongside Lane Kiffin but are still coaching the Rebels in the College Football Playoff is certainly a whirlwind.
Joe Judge, Ole Miss’ quarterbacks coach, has found himself in the thick of the drama — while he is not headed for Baton Rouge, he’s had to wonder who he will be working with on a weekly basis.
When asked this week about what it’s like to go through all the trials and tribulations, Judge turned heads with his answer that evoked his New England Patriots days.
Aaron Hernandez sits in the courtroom of the Attleboro District Court during his hearing. Former New England Patriot Aaron Hernandez has been indicted on a first-degree murder charge in the death of Odin Lloyd in North Attleboro, Massachusetts, on Aug. 22, 2013. (Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)
“My next-door neighbor was Aaron Hernandez,” Judge said, according to CBS Sports. “I know this is still more chaotic.”
Hernandez was found guilty of the 2013 murder of Odin Lloyd, which occurred just three years into his NFL career.
“If you watch those documentaries, my house is on the TV next door,” Judge added. “The detectives knocked on my door to find out where he was. I didn’t know. We just kind of talked to the organization. But it was obviously chaotic.”
Aaron Hernandez was convicted of the 2013 murder of semipro football player Odin Lloyd. (REUTERS/Brian Snyder)
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Judge, though, was able to compare the two situations to see how players can combat wild distractions.
“Those players that year handled that extremely well. Came out of that chaos, and we had some really good direction inside with some veterans and some different guys. You have something like that happen — how do you handle something like that? How do you deal with something like that? So you keep the focus on what you can handle, what you can control, which at that time was football for us, and we went through the stretch, and we were able to have success that year,” Judge said.
Judge also compared this scenario to the 2020 NFL season when he was head coach of the New York Giants, saying he would have “no idea” who would be available due to surprise positive COVID-19 tests.
Head coach Joe Judge of the New York Giants looks on during the second quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium. The game took place in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Dec. 19, 2021. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
The Rebels face Miami in the Fiesta Bowl, the College Football Playoff Semifinal, on Thursday night.
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Calabasas pulled off a huge win in high school basketball on Tuesday night, handing Thousand Oaks its first defeat after 16 victories in a Marmonte League opener.
The Coyotes (13-5) have quietly turned around their season after a 2-4 start, winning 11 of their last 12 games.
One of the major contributors has been 6-foot-3 junior guard Johnny Thyfault, who’s averaging 16 points and has become a fan favorite because of his dunking skills. He also leads the team in taking charging fouls.
He transferred to Calabasas after his freshman year at Viewpoint.
As for beating Thousand Oaks, coach Jon Palarz said, “We got to play them at home and had great effort.”
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
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The Atlanta Hawks have parted ways with four-time NBA All-Star point guard Trae Young, trading him to the Washington Wizards in a blockbuster move, according to ESPN.
The Hawks will reportedly be receiving veteran shooting guard CJ McCollum and forward Corey Kispert in the deal.
Washington was Young’s preferred destination, and the two sides were working on a deal to get the 27-year-old point guard to the nation’s capital.
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Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks looks on during the game against the Boston Celtics during Round 1 Game 6 of the 2023 NBA Playoffs on April 27, 2023 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. ( Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images)
Young’s agents were having conversations with the Hawks, who sit at 17-21 so far this season, about trading their client out of Atlanta.
There is a mutual connection in Washington, too, as executive Travis Schlenk drafted Young fifth overall in 2018 out of Oklahoma.
It marks the end of an era for the Hawks. Young has been the focal point of their offense since he was taken in that draft. He is the team’s career leader in three-pointers and assists, having led the team to the postseason in three of his eight seasons. The Hawks went the furthest in 2021, where they made the Eastern Conference Finals.
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However, the new era was brewing already in Atlanta, with forward Jalen Johnson taking the next step in his career, averaging 23.7 points per game this season. The pickup of Nickeil Alexander-Walker also helps, as he’s averaged 20.5 points per game in 36 appearances.
Meanwhile, Young has played just 10 games this season, as he’s been dealing with leg injuries, most notably a right MCL sprain.
Trae Young #11 of the Atlanta Hawks looks on after the game against the Boston Celtics during Round One Game Five of the 2023 NBA Playoffs on April 25, 2023 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)
The Hawks also get some flexibility on their books, as they could make some more moves. Anthony Davis is reportedly available from the Dallas Mavericks, making him a good target for Atlanta.
Young has $95 million remaining on his deal that runs through the 2026-27 season, which includes a player option this offseason.
Atlanta will be taking on McCollum’s contract, though the veteran guard has a $30.6 million expiring deal.
Through his 10 games this season, Young is averaging 19.2 points, 8.9 assists and 1.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 41.5% from the field.
Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks drives down the court during the first half against the Philadelphia 76ers at State Farm Arena on April 7, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
Over his career, Young has dropped 25.2 points and 9.8 assists per game, while leading the league in the latter category last season with 11.6 per contest.
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