Fan interferes in 9th in G1, but 'they got the call right'
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LOS ANGELES -- How close was Gleyber Torres to giving the Yankees a lead with a ninth-inning homer in Game 1 of the World Series on Friday night at Dodger Stadium? Close enough that he cleared the left-center-field fence -- but still settled for a double, after umpires correctly ruled fan interference on the play.
Another Jeffrey Maier situation, this was not…
With the game tied at 2 in the top of the ninth, Torres sent a deep drive to the left-center-field wall off Dodgers right-hander Michael Kopech. A fan in a Dodgers cap reached well over that fence, caught the ball with his glove and brought it back with him.
Umpires immediately signaled for fan interference, ruling it a double. A replay review confirmed that call. The Dodgers would escape the inning unscathed, before Freddie Freeman hit a walk-off grand slam in the 10th, sending Los Angeles to a 6-3 victory in Game 1.
“Off the bat, I thought it was going to be way gone,” said Dodgers center fielder Kiké Hernández. “I looked at the exit velo and thought it was going to be way gone. The ball was doing something weird in the air tonight. … But yeah, they got the call right.”
Rule 6.01(e) states:
When there is spectator interference with any thrown or batted ball, the ball shall be dead at the moment of interference and the umpire shall impose such penalties as in his opinion will nullify the act of interference.
Essentially, had the fan not reached over the left-center-field wall, umpires ruled Torres would have likely settled for a double on the play.
That double put the go-ahead run on second base with two outs in the ninth. The Dodgers opted to walk Juan Soto with first base open. L.A. manager Dave Roberts then called on closer Blake Treinen, who got Aaron Judge to pop to short.
Unlike 1996 -- when Derek Jeter was famously awarded a crucial home run despite apparent interference by a young Yankees fan named Jeffrey Maier -- there would be no fan-aided Yankees heroics in Game 1 on Friday night at Dodger Stadium.
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