SI

Yankees Fan Interferes With Aaron Judge in Same Spot as Infamous Mookie Betts Play

Fan interference was called, but this time it benefited the Yankees.

Tim Capurso

Judge was bumped by a fan while attempting to catch a ball in foul territory.
Judge was bumped by a fan while attempting to catch a ball in foul territory. / Screengrab Twitter Chris Gonzalez/Baseball Ahora
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Stop me if you've heard this before.

A New York Yankees fan interfered with an outfielder in foul territory along the right-field wall at Yankee Stadium, preventing the player from securing the out. Such an incident, involving Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts, infamously occurred during Game 4 of the Dodgers' World Series triumph over the Yankees in October of 2024.

Well, it happened again on Tuesday night.

Except this time, a Yankees fan was interfering with one of their own in two-time American League MVP Aaron Judge. With the Yankees leading 1-0 in the top of the sixth inning with two outs and the count 1-and-1, Yankees starter Carlos Rodon's changeup was lofted to right field by Cleveland Guardians center fielder Angel Martinez. Judge tracked the ball to foul territory in right and leapt into the stands to attempt to catch the foul pop, but was bumped by a fan. The Yankees captain then bobbled the ball.

New York immediately challenged the call and the umpires replay reviewed the play. The crew later ruled fan interference, awarding the Yankees the final out of the inning. Judge, to his credit, handled the situation about as well as anyone could, given the circumstances. He showed little emotion, picked the ball up and flipped it to the crowd before jogging back to his position in right field.

It's hard to see the play and not think back to the notorious sequence involving Betts. In the bottom of the first inning of the Yankees' eventual 11-4 win over the Dodgers in Game 4 of the World Series, Betts was attempting to make a play on a foul ball by Yankees infielder Gleyber Torres when two fans interfered with him. One grabbed Betts's right hand while the other held his glove and pried the ball out. Torres was ultimately called out due to fan interference.

The fans were ejected and later banned indefinitely from all MLB stadiums, offices and facilities.

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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.

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