Saturday afternoon was a beautiful moment for the Yankees. Not so much for Yankees fans.
Spectators in the right field stands showered the warning lane with trash and empty beer cans, which were thrown towards Guardians right fielder Oscar Mercado after Gleyber Torres scored a walk-off hit at Yankees Stadium. A projectile even hit a referee who was trying to calm the scene.
The ugly scene caused Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, among other Yankees, to take a break from celebrating the 5-4 win to try and calm things down.
“Brutal,” Guardians midfielder Myles Straw told reporters. “The worst fan base in the world.”
The tension began after Isiah Kiner-Falefa hit a double hit to the left in the ninth inning to level the score. Left fielder Steven Kwan was down with an injury sustained when he slammed into the wall during the game. Straw climbed up the left field wall to confront a fan after that game.
Fans throw beers and debris at Cleveland Guardians center fielder Oscar Mercado and other Cleveland Guardians after the Yankees won 5-4 Robert Sabo
New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge tries to calm the situation. Robert Sabo
“Obviously there’s no place to throw stuff on the field,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters. “Obviously we don’t want to put anyone in danger. I love the intensity but I can’t throw anything on the field.”
Just before the final outfield scene in the bottom of the ninth, Myles Straw went straight back to the fans at Yankee Stadium. pic.twitter.com/wegiKxjtIF
— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) April 23, 2022
“That must not happen,” said Kiner-Falefa. “I love the fans, love the atmosphere, but we win with class.”
Guardians manager Terry Francona also weighed what was happening in the outfield.
“Myles kind of stood up for his teammate. The boy is out there bleeding and checking him for a concussion,” Francona said. per Bally Sports Cleveland. “I just think the emotions are probably a little out of control. Regardless, I don’t think people can throw things at our players on the field. That will never be okay.”
Cleveland Guardians center fielder Myles Straw scales the left field wall to confront the fans during the ninth inning. Robert Sabo
The scene seemed to calm down relatively quickly.
The 5-4 comeback win marked the second straight win for the Yankees.