Mookie Betts might have had the last laugh, but the Los Angeles Dodgers star is still angry at the New York Yankees fans who tried to rip the ball out of his glove in Game 4 of the World Series.Â
Two fans were ejected for trying to prize the ball out of Betts’ hand when the right fielder caught a Gleyber Torres popup in foul territory at Yankee Stadium.Â
As Betts made a brilliant catch, a fan – later named Austin Capobianco – grabbed his hand and pulled his fingers away from the ball. Capobianco’s friend then grabbed Betts’ other hand before the ball fell out of his grasp. Torres was correctly ruled out the right-field umpire.
Now, in his appearance on ‘Back That Year Up 2024’ with Kevin Hart and Kenan Thompson, Betts has revealed what he really thinks about the moment now that he is a World Series winner once again.
‘I would really say “f*** you guys”. Like try and get the ball, cool. But you tried to grab my s***,’ Betts said.
‘I was in the moment. So I thought about throwing the ball at them. And then I realized, “Mook, you ain’t gonna do s***. Go back to right field.”‘
Mookie Betts has said what he really thought of Yankees fans ripping the ball from his hand
Two Yankees fans ripped the ball out of his hand after Betts caught a Gleyber Torres popup
Betts gave a far more diplomatic answer after the game, which the Dodgers lost on the night before completing their World Series triumph the next day in Game 5.
‘When it comes to the person in play, it doesn’t matter,’ he said. ‘We lost. It’s irrelevant. I’m fine. He’s fine. Everything’s cool.
‘We lost the game and that’s what I’m kind of focused on. We got to turn the page and get ready for tomorrow.’
The Yankees fans in question even spoke out about their moment in the spotlight and had no regrets.
‘We always joke about the ball in our area,’ Capobianco told ESPN. ‘We’re not going to go out of our way to attack. If it’s in our area, we’re going to ‘D’ up.
‘Someone defends, someone knocks the ball. We talk about it. We’re willing to do this.
‘I know when I’m in the wrong and as soon as I did it, I was like, “Boys I’m out of here”. I patrol that wall and they know that.’
Capobianco and his friend were banned from Game 5, where the Dodgers overturned a 5-1 Yankees lead to win the World Series in New York. It was the third World Series title of the 32-year-old Betts’ career.
