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Major League Baseball has been on a roll this postseason and even earned a victory over the NFL earlier this week when it drew more viewers for Game 3 of the World Series than the Monday Night Football game that aired at the same time. The rivalry between the top two media markets in the country, New York and Los Angeles, along with the star players both teams have makes a big difference. In Game 4, the rivalry between the two heated up when a couple of New York Yankees fans ripped a ball right out of the glove of Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts.
On the New York Yankees radio broadcast, play-by-play broadcaster John Sterling said, “I’ve seen people go for baseballs before. In my 49 years of broadcasting baseball, I’ve never seen that.”
On radio, WFAN’s Gregg Giannotti and Boomer Esiason spent time on the fans and their role in the game. Gio said, “The two goombas out in right field, the Grabbing Goombas — the Goomba Grabbers that got this whole thing started. Everybody’s gotta have a mascot. Everybody’s gotta have something and the 2024 New York Yankees now have the goomba grabbers.”
Esiason added, “He looked ridiculous…whatever the stereotypical Yankees fan is, that’s that guy, there he is…He’s ripping the ball out of his hands. The other guy is holding onto Mookie Betts’ other hand. I mean, it’s asinine.”
The two fans, who have been identified as Austin Capobianco and John Peter, have been told by MLB and the Yankees that they are not welcome at Game 5 later tonight and will be refunded for their tickets.
Many in sports media weighed in on what took place and their thoughts on the situation. This includes Rob Gronkowski who said on ‘Up and Adams’ with Kay Adams that he was friends with Capobianco who played club hockey at Arizona when Gronkowski was there.
Gronk said, “Him doing that represents him very well. He is all in for his teams…He’s a beauty.” Gronk would later post on X, “Austin was a college friend. Very passionate about the teams he represents. Will do anything for them. A menace, wild boy as well, he is the person that undoubtedly would say he would do that then actually do it. Maniac status since college has been confirmed.”
Others posted their takes on social media:
