Banned Yankees fan reveals Mookie Betts interference incident was planned for years
Yankees fan Austin Capobianco discussed his notorious night in an interview with Barstool Sports on Wednesday, sharing that this incident was the result of years of planning.
Capobianco was ejected from Game 5 of the World Series after dramatically trying to interfere with Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts during a foul pop-out on Tuesday night.
He mentioned that his friend, who grew up in Connecticut and now resides in Nashville, joined him for the game, adding that they’d always made a pact to interfere with an opposing player if the right moment arose.
Capobianco, a season ticket holder with seats in the first row along the right-field line, has attended every home playoff game since 2011.
“We talked about it. If we’re on the field, we’re D-ing up our fans from being stupid and causing interference that [costs the Yankees an out when they’re in the field],” Capobianco explained on the “Barstool Rundown.”
“In that situation, ideally we would’ve hit the ball while it was in the air — we’re not reaching into the field of play. We would have if it came down to that, but that ball was on the wall. It was in my mouth, basically, and I go, ‘I can’t not do something right now.’”
He elaborated on his reasoning for attempting to snatch the ball from Betts' glove.
“It was pretty secure. Once you put your hand on the glove you’re getting booted no matter what. So I might as well just f–king rip the thing out,” Capobianco said.
“The best was when [my friend] just grabbed the arm. It was f–king hilarious in the video.”
Capobianco later admitted that his friend “crossed the line” by grabbing Betts’ arm.
He stressed that there was “no racial s–t” directed at Betts during the incident.
The dedicated Yankees fan noted that he was already known to Yankees security, as people seated behind him often complained about his enthusiastic cheering and standing during games.
Following his ejection, Capobianco headed to Billy’s near Yankee Stadium and said he spent the remainder of the night “slamming drinks.”