A lot of things went down this season, but none can top the Mookie Betts incident. Till now Betts had been silent on the topic, but not now. Kevin Hart got the Dodgers player talking about his feelings at the moment. Mookie didn’t hold back and gave it right back to the fans who went quite aggressive on Betts when the ball reached them.

Mookie Betts was about to grab a fly ball in right field in the first inning of Game 4 of the World Series. As the right fielder was about to make the catch, two Yankees fans reached over and tried to snatch the ball right out of his glove. Not only was it a ridiculous attempt to steal a World Series souvenir, but it also put Betts at serious risk of injury at a critical moment in the game.

Mookie Betts recalls the infamous ‘fan interference’ moment

That day Betts didn’t make his feelings clear about the whole accident and went right back to the field. Two months later, Betts has publicly spoken about what he actually thinks about the whole fiasco. On a podcast with Kevin Hart, he said, “I would really say f**k you guys. I thought about throwing the ball at them, and then I realized, Mook, you ain’t gonna do sh*t; go back to right field!” Calm down, Betts! Hopefully, there’ll be no flying balls and snatching gloves anytime soon. As for the two Yankees fans, after the incident, they were immediately ejected from the stadium.

These types of ‘fan interference’ cases are very common, especially in baseball. But while Mookie Betts expressed his anger about the whole situation, did the fans show any remorse? Nope, according to ESPN, they were proud. The two friends were later identified by ESPN as Capobianco and John Peter. “We always joke about the ball in our area,” they told ESPN. “We’re not going to go out of our way to attack. If it’s in our area, we’re going to ‘D’ up. Someone defends, someone knocks the ball.” Well, these things tend to happen, but the Dodgers win definitely gave the fans an indirect answer.

The most memorable fan interference in Yankee Stadium

When the Mookie Betts incident happened, people couldn’t help but draw comparisons to the infamous “Jeffrey Maier” incident. Back in 1996, Derek Jeter was at the plate for the Yankees. Jeter sent a deep fly ball to right field at Yankee Stadium. That’s when Maier, a young fan in the stands, reached over the outfield wall and grabbed the ball out of the air.

Meanwhile, Orioles outfielder Tony Tarasco was ready to make the catch. However, there is a huge difference between both incidents. Maier’s interference wasn’t just a questionable fan moment; it had a direct impact on the outcome. It led to a home run call that is still talked about. The fact that it was 1996 and there was no such thing as video replay added to the dispute. So, when umpire Rich Garcia called it a home run, the decision stood. That controversial moment gave rise to heated debates, but the Yankees weren’t fazed. They went on to win the game, just like the Dodgers this season.

So are these fan interferences a lucky charm for the batting team? Or is it just a huge coincidence? According to The New York Times, Jeffrey Maier, the fan who unintentionally became a key figure in baseball history, went on to play baseball at Wesleyan University. Isn’t that a full-circle moment? Now 40 years old, he resides in New Hampshire, working in tech security. Despite his career shift, the Times reported that Maier remains a die-hard Yankees fan.