Inside The Pinstripes

'Worst Fan Base on Planet': Guardians Blast Yankees Fans After Incident at Yankee Stadium

Cleveland's outfielders Myles Straw and Oscar Mercado sounded off on fans at Yankee Stadium after Saturday's altercation in the Bronx.

Max Goodman

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NEW YORK — Players from the Cleveland Guardians did not hold back in their assessment of Yankees fans after a pair of scary and chaotic altercations in the ninth inning of Saturday's game at Yankee Stadium.

"Classless," Guardians center fielder Myles Straw told reporters after the walk-off loss in the Bronx. "Worst fan base on the planet."

Cleveland was one out away from a comeback victory when Yankees shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa ripped a game-tying double off the left-field wall. On the play, Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan slammed into the fence trying to make the catch, needing attention from members of Cleveland's training staff.

Right fielder Oscar Mercado explained after the game that fans in left field were celebrating Kwan's injury rather than the game-tying double off Kiner-Falefa's bat. As certain fans continued to chirp down to the field, Straw stood up for his teammate and leapt on the outfield wall, shouting back at one of the hecklers.

"You can celebrate, chirp all you want during the game, but don't try to get people hurt. That's not how things work," Mercado said.

Moments later, Gleyber Torres came off the bench for New York, delivering a game-winning single to right field. As the ball hit the outfield grass in front of Straw and Mercado, fans in the bleachers immediately began chucking beer cans, water bottles and other objects onto the field of play.

At one point, Mercado caught an oncoming beer that was destined for his face. An umpire was drilled in the back as well. 

"I personally am not going to sit there and allow them to just throw stuff at me and take it like it's nothing. They need to be held accountable," Mercado told reporters. "I think there should be rules set up for that because in all honesty, that's ridiculous. That should not happen. Say whatever you want to say, and do whatever you want to do, but at the end of the day, there's gotta be consequences for behavior like that."

Straw added that there's "no reason" to throw beers at people on the field. 

"I've never seen anything like this anywhere else," he said. 

While their fans acted in a senseless manner, the Yankees stood up for their opponents. As trash rained down on the outfield grass, players like Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton broke free from their walk-off celebration, running in the direction of the fracas to tell the fans to stop. Gerrit Cole and Anthony Rizzo were among those that helped escort the Guardians back to their dugout.

"I appreciate the Yankee players coming out and trying to control them. I have a lot of respect for that," Mercado added.

This isn't the first instance where fans have thrown objects onto the field at Yankee Stadium. Last April, a fan hit Red Sox left fielder Alex Verdugo with a baseball. A few months later, fans from all around the ballpark threw baseballs back onto the field during a blowout against the Rays. 

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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