The New York Yankees returned to the World Series on Friday and brought with them the specter of Jeffrey Maier. This time it was a little different for them.
With two outs, no one on base and the game tied 2-2 in the top of the ninth, Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres hit a fly ball to deep left field that, for a second, looked like a home run of the advantage. The referees then called out fan interference and the United States found itself with its controversial new ball hawk.
A fan in Dodger gear clearly reached over the outfield wall to catch the ball, so the umpires waved off Torres’ home run and placed him on second base. The call was confirmed by replay.
The play echoed controversy when, 26 years ago, a 12-year-old boy named Jeffrey Maier went over the wall at Yankee Stadium and hit a game-tying home run for Derek Jeter against the Baltimore Orioles. In that case, it was a Yankees fan who caught the ball and the umpires made the wrong call.
The ruling gained significance when the Dodgers intentionally walked Juan Soto, retired reliever Michael Kopech and sent Blake Treinen to face Aaron Judge with the game on the line. Judge jumped to end the inning.
The Dodgers fell in order in the bottom of the ninth to send the game into extra innings.