“The Cubs are good enough defensively. They don’t need an extra outfielder,” the commentator remarked during the Baltimore Orioles and Chicago Cubs game on Wednesday. While the former put up a good fight, hitting 4 homers in response to the Cubs’ 5, the ‘extra outfielder’ grabbed the spotlight more than the scoreline. 

The Baltimore Orioles had slipped to the bottom of the AL East, courtesy of the Boston Red Sox’s recent form. With already one defeat in the final homestand before the All-Star break, the Orioles hosted the Chicago Cubs, hoping for a change of scenery. They trailed 9-5 entering the 8th while adding two more runs in that inning and recording 2 outs in the 9th. The Orioles fans were hoping to observe something special as Pete Alonso was at the plate for the final at-bat. It did happen, but not through Alonso’s bat.

A young female entered the outfield. Home plate umpire Adrian Johnson had to pause the play as he rushed towards the person. When the camera panned, the scene was quite odd.

It seemed like the female Cubs fan was talking to an Orioles fan, while the spectators sitting looked amazed. They were waiting for the security personnel to escort her out of the Orioles Park at Camden Yards. But the fan suddenly put her hands up in the air, started pumping them up and down, and dancing.

“Everybody’s gonna leave the ballpark tonight, and you’d rather not leave it in handcuffs, but that will be the case for one fan at least,” Orioles play-by-play announcer Kevin Brown said after a fan entered the ballpark on Wednesday. 

The Baltimore loyalists weren’t looking to be entertained, as she started wandering the field. The invader received loud boos from the stands. 

Even the umpire seemed upset. 

Finally, the security approached and took her away, and the announcer closed the chapter mentioning her as an ‘extra.’ 

Meanwhile, Alonso couldn’t incorporate a change on the scoreboard, even though he was practicing his swings as the entire fan scene unfolded around him.

The 31-year-old grounded out to Michael Busch. And the Orioles finally lost 9-7, making it 3 in a row. Instead of closing the gap with the Red Sox, they made it worse.

Standing at the bottom of the AL East (42-51), their playoff odds are only 6%, per Baseball Reference. Right now, they are considered an extreme underdog for the Wild Card spot. 

But even as the Cubs remained 2nd in the NL Central, their victory was somewhat overshadowed by the fan invasion. 

Not the first fan to cross the line

MLB isn’t known for routine interruptions right now. The 1970s ‘pitch invasion’ period is long gone, and the league heavily cracked down on stadium security and field-storming. 

Entering the field now is costly for a fan.

They not only earn a lifetime ban from the stadium, but it can also include hefty fines and automatic arrests for trespassing. The official cameras even shift from such incidents to avoid entertaining the invaders. However, the modern era has made it difficult to maintain that, as almost every spectator carries a smartphone.  

Last year, during the American League Divisional Series between the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays, there were two similar fan instances.

A fan jumped inside the ballpark and started running through the field during Vladimir Guerrero Jr’s at-bat. The security was in hot pursuit and tackled him. But only to find that there was a second Bronx intruder.

He was eventually handled before the play resumed. 

But sometimes things turn ugly.

During a game between the Jays and Orioles on May 31, a fan threw a ball at Jesús Sánchez. The Toronto right fielder had to exit the game with a wrist injury. However, it was later revealed that a 13-year-old fan at the Orioles Park was behind it.

After Sánchez waved or pointed towards the fan’s stand, the young boy thought the player wanted to play catch. So he threw the ball, and it caught Sánchez off guard, leading to the unintentional injury. 

Luckily, Wednesday’s event was far less serious. But Baltimore’s loss did add to the concern for the team’s positioning.