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Yankees fan banned for life after ‘reckless’ Alex Verdugo incident

The Yankee Stadium fan who threw a ball that hit Red Sox left fielder Alex Verdugo on Saturday night has attended his last game in The Bronx.

The Yankee Stadium fan who threw a ball that hit Red Sox left fielder Alex Verdugo on Saturday night has attended his last game in The Bronx — or any other MLB stadium.

The fan has been banned for life from Yankee Stadium and MLB’s 29 other parks, a team spokesman said Sunday, following an ejection after the incident that took place in the sixth inning of Saturday’s game.

“While the Yankees appreciate the spirit and passion of our fans in our various rivalries — especially with the Red Sox – reckless, disorderly and dangerous behavior that puts the safety of players, field staff or fellow fans in jeopardy will not be tolerated,” the Yankees said in a statement. “There is absolutely no place for it at Yankee Stadium. The safety of everyone at Yankee Stadium, including guests in the stands and players on the field, will always be the top priority for the Yankees organization every time we open our doors.“

Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo returns to the field following Saturday’s incident.
Bill Kostroun/New York Post

Verdugo had thrown a ball into the stands in left field before the bottom of the sixth inning, aiming for a Red Sox fan, but it ended up in the hands of a Yankees fan. Amid chants to throw it back, the fan threw the ball on the field and it hit Verdugo in the back.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora soon pulled his team off the field after Verdugo began furiously talking to fans in the left field seats.

“[Saturday] was one incident,” Cora said Sunday. “Somebody made a bad decision throwing a baseball. … One thing for sure, when I went out there, it was loud and it got nasty, from both sides. I just needed to calm [Verdugo] down. That was the whole reason I took everybody off the field.”

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Greg Joyce

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