Fan Ejected From Yankee Stadium for Tipping Pitches
A spectator was ejected during Tuesday night's game between the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays for tipping pitches.
The home plate umpire tossed the fan for yelling out the location of pitches while Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez was at–bat.
During the eighth inning, Sanchez faced a full count against Twins pitcher Austin Pruitt when plate umpire Dan Bellino abruptly stopped play to speak with a security staff member.
He wanted the fan removed and spoke to crew chief Jerry Layne, who was patrolling second base.
"You could definitely hear the guy scream, 'Outside! Outside!'" Sanchez said. "But you don't know if it's going to be a slider or a fastball. You've got to stick to your plan, whatever approach you have, whatever plan you have when you're facing the pitcher. You want to maintain and focus on that, and not whatever people are screaming out there."
After the ejection, Sanchez hit a RBI single. The Yankees won the game 6–1, clinching home-field advantage for the wild-card game. New York is now three games behind the Boston Red Sox in the AL East.
Rays catcher Wilson Ramos also said that the fan was tipping pitches.
"Everybody's supposed to hit the ball and react to pitches. If you have somebody telling you where the ball is going it's more easy," Ramos said. "To me, it's like cheating. He was saying 'Away, away, away' in Spanish."
