On Saturday, it appeared as though we had a re-run of the fan incident from Game 4 of the 2024 World Series. Of course, that was the game in which a pair of New York Yankees fans ripped a foul ball out of Mookie Betts' glove, resulting in their ejection and indefinite banning from all MLB ballparks. A couple of months later, a Houston Astros fan seemingly created a sequel performance.
During the bottom of the second inning, Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout jumped to catch a foul ball. The ball appeared to land in Trout's glove, only for an Astros fan to rip it out. After a review, the umpiring crew determined that there was no interference and that it was a foul ball.
After the incident, the fan in question, who was apologetic on camera, was relocated to another section of the stadium. The fan said, via Sam Blum of The Athletic, that he was protecting his young son from the foul ball.
Once the game ended, Trout met with the fan and his son, even autographing the baseball in question, as captured on camera by Blum. Trout told MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger that the fan was very apologetic over the incident and didn't feel he was being malicious. Trout said he wanted to meet the fan.
Mike Trout meets with the fan and his son. pic.twitter.com/LVl9t3qMl1
— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) April 13, 2025
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Mike Trout meets with Astros fan who ripped foul ball out of glove
What a great moment. Trout sensed that the fan meant no harm, and decided to meet him and his son to put the incident behind them.
The fan spoke with Blum for The Athletic, and said that he was protecting his son from getting hit by the foul ball from Astros catcher Yainer Diaz.
“I just didn’t know what was going on,” the Astros fan, Jared Whalen, told The Athletic. “I didn’t realize it was a play. It was coming at my son’s face. I just reached out.”
The misunderstanding didn't cost the Angels any runs, as Diaz flew out to center field to end the inning. The Angels went on to win the game 4-1 to improve to 9-5 on the year and maintain their lead in first place in the AL West.
It's good to see that controversy was avoided, with Trout providing a memory for the fan's son after the misunderstanding.