2 weeks Ago By Dan Treacy
Gleyber Torres came about as close as he possibly could to giving the Yankees the lead in the ninth inning of Game 1 of the World Series on Friday — and a Dodgers fan nearly helped him out. Torres' two-out line drive to the warning track made it to the seats, but not for a home run. Umpires immediately signaled for fan interference, putting Torres at second base.
The Dodgers were fortunate the call was so obvious, but no one was luckier than the fan. Had Torres' hit been ruled a home run and led to a Dodgers loss, he might have become a national name overnight in the vein of Steve Bartman. Instead, Los Angeles got out of the jam, and no damage was done.
Here's a look at Torres near-home run from Game 1 of the World Series. LIVE: Follow Yankees vs. Dodgers in World Series Game 1 Yankees-Dodgers fan interference Torres laced a ball to the outfield and saw it go over the fence, but even he seemed to realize immediately he didn't give the Yankees the lead.
A fan reached over the fence on this hit by Gleyber Torres resulting in a fan interference call pic.twitter.com/67dm8hrhqm Umpires determined a fan interfered with the ball, and a video review confirmed the ball would not have gone over the fence had the fan not reached out his glove.
The moment could have become an all-time controversy if it wasn't so clear the ball wasn't going over the wall, but the Yankees didn't put up much of an argument in the end. The fan, meanwhile, was able to breathe a sigh of relief with the 2-2 score still intact. He still reportedly left with his two children after the play.
Out in left field where the fan interfered with the ball. Other fans here say he left immediately after, with his two children. pic.
twitter.com/RktUVSqF8V In some cases, fan interference will result in an out call. That wasn't the case in the ninth inning because the ball wasn't going to be caught no matter what the fan did.
Teoscar Hernandez would have had no choice but to let the ball bounce off the wall, so the fan didn't interfere with any attempt at a catch and the inning continued with Torres at second base. The Dodgers opted to intentionally walk Juan Soto in the next at-bat, then got Aaron Judge to pop out for the final out of the inning, ending the threat. Jeffrey Maier fan interference The Dodgers fan in question might not become a household name, but that's not a luxury Jeffrey Maier had in 1996.
Maier was just 12 when he caught a Derek Jeter home run ball in Game 1 of the ALCS against the Orioles. It wouldn't have been a home run if not for the catch, though. Orioles OF Tony Tarasco instantly protested the home run call, but in an era before readily available replay review, the call on the field was a home run rather than fan interference.
28 years later, Jeffrey Maier has been avenged. pic.twitter.
com/MWSj8MtfJ3 The Yankees tied the game on the home run and would end up winning. They closed out the Orioles in five games on their way to the first championship of a dynasty..
