There will be a fifth game of the 2024 World Series played in the Bronx tonight. A couple of nice Italian boys from the area who grew up as Yankee fans–one now their shortstop, one a season ticket holder– are being celebrated by the their fan base for their contributions to it, although there seems to be only unilateral support for the one who wears the actual uniform.
THE ATHLETIC’s Chris Kirschner shared the story of the shortstop with his readers late last night:
Like many kids who grew up playing baseball in the New York area, (Anthony) Volpe dreamed of becoming the Yankees’ shortstop and a franchise icon like his hero, Derek Jeter. While the odds of such a dream coming true are nearly impossible, Volpe now lives it every day.
His deep-rooted Yankees fandom spans generations. His great-grandfather immigrated from Italy and made a living selling fruit from a pushcart in downtown Manhattan. He later fought in World War II and returned home with shrapnel wounds. Volpe’s grandfather was just 4 years old when his father went to war, and upon his return, they bonded over Yankees games on the radio. Every night, trying to make up for lost time, the two would share stories of life and baseball.
Growing up, Volpe wore No. 7 in honor of his grandfather’s idol, Mickey Mantle. So Tuesday night embodied a dream fulfilled for Volpe and his ancestors. He launched a go-ahead grand slam in the third inning, giving the Yankees a 5-2 lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers. He also stole two bases, becoming the first Yankee to hit a grand slam and steal multiple bases in a game — regular season or postseason — since none other than Mantle.
But incredibly, he’s sharing the spotlight with someone who’s yet to make it out of the stands who thanks to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers is getting his own Andy Warhol moment:
Two fans at Yankee Stadium were ejected from Game 4 of the World Series after one pried a foul ball out of the glove of Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts on Tuesday night.
Betts leaped at the wall in foul territory and initially caught Gleyber Torres‘ popup in the first inning, but a fan in the first row, Austin Capobianco, grabbed Betts’ glove with both hands and pulled the ball out. Capobianco’s friend, John Peter, then grabbed Betts’ non-glove hand.
Betts reacted angrily, and Torres was immediately ruled out by right-field umpire Mark Carlson on fan interference.
Capobianco, a Yankees season-ticket holder, said he knew he would be in trouble but chose to grab and open Betts’ glove nonetheless, telling ESPN that he and Peter often discuss this exact scenario: If a foul ball comes their way, they’re going to do what they can to help their team.
“We always joke about the ball in our area,” Capobianco, 38, said at a local bar after the game. “We’re not going to go out of our way to attack. If it’s in our area, we’re going to ‘D’ up.
“Someone defends, someone knocks the ball. We talk about it. We’re willing to do this.”
The hue and cry from high-minded media types this morning has been swift and draconian. FOR THE WIN’s Charles Curtis has challenged major league baseball to ban Capobianco and Peter for life. The online reaction on X has for the most part been in line with such thoughts. But standing out among them just happened to be a teaser X-eet from Rogers himself:
Meet Austin Capobianco (middle), the fan that interfered with Mookie. I was talking to him at a local bar when a bunch of other fans asked him to take a pic with him and for his autograph. He was a beaut.
I know that bar (Billy’s) and it sits just across River Avenue from the current Stadium a bit closer to the open ballfield where the OG ballyard once stood. And I know darn well Capobianco didn’t pay for a single beverage that night, and he probably won’t tonight if he’s relegated to watching the game from there, which I strongly suspect a fan as dedicated as he is would opt to do given that one way or another this is the last time this year there will be a baseball game played in the Bronx.
Given the odds that the Pinstripers must still overcome, especially given that the Dodgers will be trotting out Game 1 starter and ace Jack Flaherty instead of an array of relievers that eventually conceded what evolved into an 11-4 loss last night, I’d suggest if there’s a desire to punish Capobianco the powers that be should simply let bygones by bygones. FWIW, Rogers reports that seems to be how his “victim” himself feels:
Betts, who was visibly frustrated in the moment, downplayed the incident after the game.
“When it comes to the person in play, it doesn’t matter,” Betts said. “We lost. It’s irrelevant. I’m fine. He’s fine. Everything’s cool. We lost the game and that’s what I’m kind of focused on. We got to turn the page and get ready for tomorrow.”
He should be allowed to see his team struggle and perhaps see the Dodgers celebrate on New York soil just like they did in 1981 (and, technically, also in 1955, as the home team in Brooklyn). And he will be reminded there’s a long cold winter ahead for him and his fellow fans to ponder the reality that said loss would result in a tie for the longest drought between world’s championships since 1923.
We all have bigger things to worry about that this “beaut”.
Courage…