Everything we have learned about 38-year-old Yankees fan Austin Capobianco these past 24 hours has been against our will. But that should be expected when a fan aggressively tries to pry a ball away from Mookie Betts during the World Series.
Yet, the Yankees deserve some credit here. For how unlikeable Capobianco appears to be, the team certainly knew how to win a PR battle.
As Capobianco — who was banned from attending Wednesday’s Game 5 of the World Series — made his media rounds to soak up his 15 minutes, he complained to Newsday about how the Yankees not only banned him from the game but also confiscated his tickets. He would have liked to give the tickets to his brother and friends. Instead, he was forced to settle for a refund.
Yankees fan Austin Capobianco tells Newsday via text: “The banning to tonight’s game was kind of expected, but the fact my little brother and his friends can’t use our season tickets tonight has really pissed me off. It’s not like they can go to the next game.”
Capobianco deserved zero sympathy even before those comments, and the Yankees couldn’t have responded better. The team decided to redistribute those tickets to a pediatric cancer patient and his family.
From the Yankees, about the fan who will sit in the seats left behind by the two fans kicked out of Game 4: Calvin Young was one of approximately 80 children from families battling pediatric cancer invited to a “Kids Only” Press Conference at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 13, in which…
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The World Series continues! After Freddie Freeman hit another home run to start the game off (his sixth straight World Series homer!), I feared the series was over. It was so easy to fall into the “here we go again” trap. And, with how quiet it was in the ballpark afterward, you could just feel that the fans were beginning to fall into it, too.
But the Yankees’ offense came to life after an Anthony Volpe grand slam gave them a 5-2 lead. New York never looked back from there. They put up 11 runs, three homers, three doubles and five stolen bases on a Dodgers defense that seemed unflappable until Game 4.
That said, as a neutral observer, it’s hard to feel good about that win for the Yankees yesterday. Not because of anything the players did — they played their hearts out and earned a Game 5.
But the fans sucked! They completely ruined what was otherwise a really fun game.
Everybody saw when two fans tried to rip a ball from Mookie Betts’ glove. Obviously, fan interference was called. The fans were also rightfully removed from the game. But the fact that they actually tried this is mind-numbingly stupid.
One of the fans is a season-ticket holder, with seats in the front row at the foul line. That’s not cheap. Yet, still, they were willing to try this and get banned anyway? Yeah, sorry. But that’s not smart.
But that’s not even the most dastardly that happened last night.
When the World Series stopped to hold its annual Stand Up to Cancer moment of silence during Game 4, a fan thought it was the perfect time to heckle Freddie Freeman.
As my colleague Charles Curtis writes, Freeman lost his mom to cancer when he was 10 years old. This is something that likely means a lot to him. Yet, that fan decided it was the perfect time to scream “You suck, Freeman!” for everyone to hear.
It was uncalled for. It was classless. And Yankees fans should be better than that. Have some sense, y’all. What are we doing here?
Look, I get the stakes and the circumstances here. It’s the World Series. Emotions run high. The home team is down 3-0 and the fans are hanging all of their hopes on this one game. But that’s no excuse to act like this. That’s gross behavior.
I won’t pin the bad behavior of a handful of fans on an entire fanbase. I’m sure plenty of Yankees fans out there were just as uncomfortable seeing all this as the rest of us.
To those fans, please convince your homies to cut it out. Because, right now, this looks terrible.
Why Anthony Richardson is heading to the bench
Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
The Colts naming Joe Flacco as their starting quarterback over Anthony Richardson is puzzling to me.
Richardson was drafted to be the future of the franchise. If you believe in him, start him. If he’s not worthy of starting just yet, devise a plan that gets him there. This doesn’t feel like a plan — it just feels like a benching. He hasn’t been great, sure. But don’t you want to get him the reps he needs to get better?
The answer to that is likely yes. But, as our Robert Zeglinski writes, the Colts can’t really afford to do that and risk things blowing up in their faces.
“There are 52 other players on the Colts roster who expect their leadership to make pragmatic decisions that are best for everyone. Yes, quarterbacks take the lion’s share of precedence over other positions for good reason, but that setup only happens for established stars. All changes are on the table for rusty anchors like Richardson that mostly drag everyone down. So, at this specific moment in time, Flacco is unquestionably a better option for Indianapolis than Richardson. While a journeyman, Flacco is someone other Colts veterans don’t have to worry about pulling his weight.
Because, for the most part, he probably will.
It’s shortsighted and cruel to Richardson’s overall development because it probably never happens without injury. But the Colts can’t afford to center his needs at the expense of everyone else’s or risk a not-so-subtle mutiny.”
There’s no question that Joe Flacco gives the Colts the best chance of winning here. But you just have to wonder if it’ll come at the cost of the team’s future.
We’ll find out down the road, I guess.
Starting 5 Season 2 is underway
After seeing the hype following the first season of Netflix’s NBA docuseries, Starting 5, the streamer announced that season two is already underway.
If we don’t get a James Harden party scene, it’s not real. All jokes aside, this seems like a pretty solid group. I will say I kind of wish it wasn’t so star-driven. I’d love some contrast here. Can we get a rookie here? What about a role player, maybe?
I won’t complain too much, though. These players are all super interesting in their own ways. This should be a fun watch.
Freddie Freeman has been so dominant in this World Series that Yankees fans came to Tuesday’s Game 4 prepared to beg the Dodgers first baseman for mercy.
One fan at Yankee Stadium even tried to convey that message to Freddie directly.
In the first inning, Freeman put the Dodgers ahead with a two-run home run to right field. It was his fourth homer of the series and extended his streak of home runs in six consecutive World Series games (including his 2021 win with the Braves).
As the Fox broadcast went to commercial at the end of the half inning, the telecast panned to a fan in the stands with just a spot-on sign. He wanted Freddie to stop.
Again, Freeman has been so unstoppable that one fan actually thought to make that sign ahead of time. It doesn’t get much better than that, and MLB fans certainly appreciated the self awareness.
While the Dodgers head into Tuesday’s Game 4 of the World Series with a commanding 3-0 series lead, one player in the Yankees organization won’t mind seeing the Dodgers lift the Commissioner’s Trophy.
He’s getting a ring no matter what.
In the most unusual of circumstances, Taylor Trammell — an outfielder currently in the Yankees’ minor-league system — is guaranteed a World Series ring whether New York completes a historic comeback or not. The reason is simple: Trammell has appeared in regular season games for both the Dodgers and Yankees.
The 27-year-old outfielder started the season with the Dodgers where he went hitless in six at-bats. He was designated for assignment on April 16 and claimed off waivers by New York a couple days later. Though Trammell’s stint with the Yankees was short before being sent down — a hit and walk in two plate appearances — that was enough to qualify for a Yankees ring.
The Athletic recently caught up with Trammell about his status as 2024’s *first* World Series champion, and he was so proud to be able to call himself a champion. Via The Athletic:
“I get a ring now and that’s such a cool thing to say. For me, this is so awesome because I can say I’m a World Series champion now.”
The World Series home run record has yet to be broken.
Freddie Freeman has been the difference maker for the Los Angeles Dodgers so far through three games of the World Series.
Freeman has hit three homers and accounted for seven runs batted in so far in the series. He’s made a little history along the way, too. Freeman is the only player in MLB history to hit a homer in five straight World Series games, dating back to the last two games of the 2021 World Series when Freeman played with the Braves.
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But what about the home run record for a single World Series? Freeman doesn’t quite have that one in the bag yet.
FOX’s MLB panel includes host Kevin Burkhardt with former baseball legends Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter as well as David Ortiz.
Rodriguez and Jeter were famously teammates on the New York Yankees from 2004 until 2013, winning a World Series together in 2009. Ortiz, on the other hand, played for New York’s biggest rival on the Boston Red Sox.
He is a three-time World Series champion who famously helped pull off one of the biggest upsets in sports history when Boston miraculously came back from a 3-0 deficit in the 2004 ALCS.
Ortiz hilariously continues to be a thorn in the side of Rodriguez and Jeter on FOX’s broadcast. Just watch his reaction to when the Yankees lost Game 3 of the 2024 MLB World Series against the Dodgers on Monday:
This is not the first time fans have seen this hilarious energy from Ortiz, though.
Earlier in the series, after Ice Cube performed before a Dodgers victory in Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium, Ortiz declared it was a “good day” because the Yankees lost.
It was a nice thought from whoever booked the “Lean Back” rapper as he is from The Bronx and has enjoyed a successful music career. Sadly, however, it did not exactly go well for him at Yankee Stadium.
While wearing Timberland boots on the pitcher’s mound before Game 3, he sang “All The Way Up” and didn’t exactly get the warmest reaction. Despite calling himself the ghost of Babe Ruth and trying to hype the crowd, it was clear that the energy wasn’t really there.
After the game, David Ortiz said that it felt like a “funeral already” when the artist played his hit song.
This was probably a very cool moment for Fat Joe, who also performed during halftime of a WNBA Finals game between the Liberty and Lynx earlier this month.
But it didn’t quite resonate with those who were watching him.
That man Fat Joe on the mound in Tims. I KNOW them groundskeepers off camera having a heart attack. 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/GgziwF3a6T
Giancarlo Stanton couldn’t have run this play any slower for the Yankees.
It probably wasn’t the best idea for the New York Yankees to send Giancarlo Stanton home to try to score a run here.
On Monday, the Yankees hosted the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 3 of the 2024 World Series, looking to cut the series to a 2-1 deficit after two losses in California. However, the Yankees found themselves down 3-0 early after a first inning Freddie Freeman home run and a Mookie Betts sacrifice fly in the third put the Dodgers ahead.
The Yankees were putting guys on base, but were continuing to leave them stranded throughout the middle innings. In the fourth inning, with Stanton on second and two outs, Anthony Volpe hooked a ball into left field. It wasn’t a deep ball, but the Yankees sent Stanton towards home regardless, hoping to get on the board for the first time.
Instead, however, Stanton was thrown out on a gorgeous play by Teoscar Hernández, helped along by the fact that the Yankees’ designated hitter was so slow getting home.
BANG!!
Teoscar Hernández throws out Stanton at home plate!
Stanton definitely shouldn’t have run there and the Yankees’ third base coach absolutely should have stopped him. While Stanton is an absolute monster in the batter’s box, he’s not exactly know for his speed. At all.
Baseball fans on Twitter, however, couldn’t help but make memes at Stanton’s expense for his slow run around the bases during Game 3.
Ohtani left the game after injuring his left shoulder on a failed stolen base attempt at Dodger Stadium before securing a victory against the Yankees on Saturday evening in Los Angeles. This was a nightmare scenario for baseball fans everywhere as Ohtani is the biggest and brightest star in the sport right now.
While it was initially unclear if Ohtani would miss time after the scary moment, there was some optimism from the organization.
It seemed like Ohtani immediately knew his shoulder popped out on the stolen base attempt, which is unpleasant but not too big of a concern for his availability.
The good news is that Ohtani was cleared to play in Game 3, per Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
"If he feels good enough to go, I see no reason why he wouldn't be in [the lineup]."
Despite an early home run by Juan Soto, New York struggled to keep up with the Dodgers. Yankees’ pitcher Carlos Rodón had given up four runs, including three home runs to Los Angeles and was pulled early.
Still, the Dodgers kept their foot on the gas, and when Shohei Ohtani got on base, he wanted to help push the lead in any way he could. Ohtani attempted to steal second base at the bottom of the seventh but was thrown out. Afterward, he was slow to get up, seemingly injuring his shoulder and silencing Dodger Stadium.
Shohei Ohtani injured his shoulder attempting to steal second in Game 2 of the World Series
Per Eric Stephen of SB Nation, Joe Davis on the Fox broadcast reported that the Japanese broadcast picked up audio of Ohtani telling trainers he popped his shoulder out.
Ohtani did not return to Game 2 after his injury, though that’s not necessarily an indication of how serious the injury is. The Dodgers won, 4-2.
Which shoulder did Shohei Ohtani injure in Game 2 of the World Series?
Oct 26, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) walks off the field after injuring his shoulder against the New York Yankees in the seventh inning for game two of the 2024 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
It’s noteworthy that Ohtani’s injury is to his non-throwing shoulder (his left). This is not the arm he had Tommy John surgery on last offseason.
What Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said postgame about Shohei Ohtani’s injury
"We're gonna get some tests at some point tonight/tomorrow and then we'll know more in the next couple of days. The strength was great, the range of motion good, so we're encouraged"
Ohtani walked by reporters to leave not long after the final out. He didn't have a sling or anything on his left shoulder….find out more tomorrow. https://t.co/VnlL9vL35d
It’s a fancy way of saying Ohtani had a slight shoulder dislocation. We’ll learn more about just how slight or severe before Game 3 in New York on Monday.
