Inside The Dodgers

Yankees Fan Who Grabbed Dodgers' Mookie Betts Had Poop Sent to Him

Maren Angus-Coombs|
Oct 29, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts (50) makes a catch in foul territory as a New York Yankees fan interferes during the first inning in game four of the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Oct 29, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts (50) makes a catch in foul territory as a New York Yankees fan interferes during the first inning in game four of the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

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Los Angeles Dodgers

Austin Capobianco walked into Yankee Stadium before Game 4 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, took his seat just above the right-field wall, and cheered for the home team — until one play changed everything.

More than three months have passed since Capobianco reached for Mookie Betts’ glove in an attempt to pry it open and retrieve the foul ball Betts had caught, but the incident is still fresh in everyone’s mind.

Capobianco is reminded of it daily.

“All the stuff my family has had to deal with because of me,” Capobianco told The Athletic. “The nonstop phone calls. The people sending me pictures of their ugly looking penises. The packages.”

One of those packages was sent to his parents home and inside was a surprise. Hesitant to open it, a quick Google search of the return address revealed a company known for sending anonymous packages containing a specific substance.

“It was poop,” Capobianco said.

The backlash has left him regretting his actions, wishing the whole thing “never happened.”

His punishment from Major League Baseball was a ban from all 30 ballparks, a consequence he felt was deserved. While he knew he would be ejected from the game, he didn’t realize the extent of the fallout. Since then, he refuses to watch the video, changing the channel if it airs on TV.

“I want nothing to do with that memory,” he said recently.

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Capobianco shared several voicemails with The Athletic from unknown numbers or Southern California area codes.

“Have fun watching Game 5 from home, ass hat.”

“F— you, you piece of s—. You’ve got karma coming to you. Watch your back, b—-.”

“You’re a f—— idiot and a joke, fatass.”

Since that day, Capobianco has avoided his phone and social media. He spends his time working at the family business and enjoys traveling. He admits he’s “a good dude who did a dumb thing on camera.”

Though banned from attending MLB games, MLB-sponsored events, or minor league games affiliated with major league teams, Capobianco hopes to fade into the background so he can return to his normal life.

“I’m a hero in Yankees land. I’m a villain in America,” he said. “I don’t really care. I just want to be forgotten about. That’s it. I want people to forget about me.”

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Maren Angus-Coombs
MAREN ANGUS-COOMBS

Maren Angus-Coombs was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State and has been a sports writer since 2008. Despite growing up in the South, her sports obsession has always been in Los Angeles. She is currently a staff writer at the LA Sports Report Network.

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