Yankees Awarded Controversial Home Run After Fan Robs A’s Outfielder

Despite what appeared to be clear fan interference, the Yankees’ Harrison Bader was awarded a first-inning home run.

Harrison Bader and the Yankees received what appears to be an absolute gift in the first inning of Wednesday’s game against the Athletics.

The gift came via a fan in the right field bleachers. With New York up 1–0 and runners on first and third, Bader hit a 1–1 pitch high and deep to right. Oakland right fielder JJ Bleday drifted back to the wall positioning his glove directly under the blast to make the catch.

However, a Yankees fan reached over the wall into the field of play, preventing Bleday from making the catch.

After a brief review for fan interference, umpire Laz Díaz announced that the call on the field stood, extending New York’s lead to 4–0.

This home run call was upheld after being reviewed for fan interference ... 🧐 pic.twitter.com/AEFKDfO8TY

— A's on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) May 10, 2023

To make matters worse for Oakland fans, according to the Twitter account Would it dong?, which tracks home runs around the MLB, Bader’s 362-foot deep fly “would have been a home run at Yankee Stadium and nowhere else.”

Harrison Bader vs Kyle Muller#RepBX

🦄 IT'S A UNICORN 🦄

Home Run (3) 💣

Exit velo: 102.5 mph
Launch angle: 28 deg
Proj. distance: 362 ft

This would have been a home run at Yankee Stadium and nowhere else.

OAK (0) @ NYY (4)
🔻 1st pic.twitter.com/jYVEujPMGv

— Would it dong? (@would_it_dong) May 10, 2023

The Yankees center fielder is batting .429 with three home runs and 11 RBI’s in just eight games after spending the first month of the season on the injured list with a strained oblique.