With Game 1 of the World Series tied, 2-2, in the top of the ninth inning, New York Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres briefly appeared to hit the biggest home run of his life when he sent a Michael Kopech pitch over the left-center field fence.
The only problem for Torres and the Yankees is that the ball only went over the fence because a Dodgers fan reached over the wall into the field of play and caught it.
Had he not reached over, it would have still been in play and clearly hit off the wall. Have a look at the play.
The umpires were all over it and correctly ruled it as fan interference, leaving Torres at second base with a two-out double instead of a two-out home run.
After intentionally walking Juan Soto, Blake Treinen was able to get Aaron Judge to pop out to end the inning.
it is very fortunate for the Dodgers the play was called correctly because that could have been one of the more infamous fan moments in playoff baseball.
The Yankees benefitted from one of those plays back in the 1990s when a young fan by the name of Jeffrey Maier reached over the wall at Yankee Stadium during Game 1 of the 1996 American League Championship Series.
A Derek Jeter line drive down the right field line was caught by Maier as he reached over the wall. Instead of being called fan interference, umpires ruled it a home run. This was before instant replay so the call on the field stood and tied the game. The Yankees went on to win the game and the series.
The other most famous fan incident was the Steve Bartman incident during the 2003 NLCS when a Cubs fan attempted to catch a foul ball against the Florida Marlins. That was not a fan interference play as Bartman did not reach over the wall, but it did disrupt Moises Alou’s chance of catching the ball, setting the stage for a Marlins rally to tie the series at three games apiece. The Marlins went on to win Game 7 and win the World Series.
