The story of Game 1 of the World Series will be about one particular Los Angeles Dodgers fan.
Baseball has a long and storied history of fan interference, although it can be debated whether this instance benefitted this particular fan's team or not.
In the top of the 9th inning with two outs and the score tied at 2-2, the Yankees' Gleyber Torres took Dodgers pitcher Michael Kopech deep to center.
The ball never landed in play. Instead, it was caught by a fan in the first row. The FOX announcer immediately reacted as if it would be ruled a home run, as if the ball left the ballpark.
Dodgers fan WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!
— Ben Verlander (@BenVerlander) October 26, 2024
In the old days, it could have been ruled a home run. But after discussion between the umpires, it was ruled fan interference and a ground-rule double.
Had it been ruled a homer to give the Yankees a Game 1 lead in the ninth, it is likely that Dodger fan would never live another normal day in his life again. But because it was just a double, the Dodgers were able to get out of the inning, and Game 1 went into extra innings.
Any objective human will likely watch the replay and conclude the ball would not have left the ballpark had the fan not be able to catch it. It can be debated whether Torres would have reached third or even home after the ball bounced off of the wall. That will never be known.
