HOUSTON — A fan grabbed the ball out of Mike Trout’s glove after the Los Angeles Angels star reached into the right field stands Saturday night to make what appeared to be a great catch against the Houston Astros.
Trout raced into the right-field corner on the fly ball hit by Yainer Diaz in the second inning of the Angels’ 4-1 win, leaped and extended his left arm into the stands to make the grab. But a fan wearing an Astros jersey was also reaching for the ball at the same time.
The ball appeared to simultaneously glance off the fan’s hand while Trout made the catch. The fan immediately snatched the ball from Trout’s glove with his left hand.
Trout gestured emphatically to umpires that the fan had taken it out of his glove. The fan then looked as if he was trying to give the ball back to Trout, raising both arms while holding the ball in his right hand.
“I jumped in, it was in my glove and the guy just literally took it out,” Trout said after the game. “He was really apologetic. I learn new things every single day. Once I go into the stands, it’s free game. Being in center field is a little different because I don’t really get that play.”
Trout, who hit a two-run single in the first, moved from center field to right field this season to reduce wear and tear on his body and help him stay on the field.
First base umpire Alan Porter ruled it a foul ball and not a catch. Angels manager Ron Washington came out to discuss the play with the umpires, but the ruling stood and was not reviewed by replay.
“He said it doesn’t matter,” Trout said of what he was told by Porter. “As soon as your glove goes into the stands, it’s fair game. And if it hits their finger or the ball hits their hand, I guess it’s ruled dead. I guess if you saw the replay, it hits his hand first, then goes in my glove. So even if I would have come back out (with the ball), they probably could have challenged it. That was my understanding.”
Washington said he was told he could have challenged the play, but didn’t want to risk losing his challenge at that point in the game.
“I thought he had it and we looked at it,” Washington said. “It looked like a fan pulled it out of his glove as he was coming out, but I would have had to use a challenge. And if the umpires didn’t do that, I would have lost it early.”
Porter, who is the crew chief, told a pool reporter after the game that the play was reviewable, but is also a judgment call.
“The fly ball was in the stands — it was not over the field of play,” Porter said. “Once the ball is outside of the field of play, the fielder goes into the stands at his own risk. So, the ball being touched by the fan does not create spectator interference at that point.”
The fan and his son were escorted out of the section by security and moved to a different section. Trout had security bring the fan and his son down to the Angels clubhouse after the game. Trout gave the fan’s son a bat and signed the ball. He also took a picture with the fan and his son.
“They were really apologetic,” Trout said. “It didn’t really affect the game. I have a kid myself. That kid was probably 9 years old, so just seeing him after the game, they were really nice people.”
Diaz ended up flying out to center to end the inning.
The play was reminiscent of Game 4 of last year’s World Series when two fans interfered with him and one pried a foul ball out of the glove of Dodgers’ Mookie Betts at Yankee Stadium. However, umpires ruled that was fan interference and a catch by Betts.
