Thu. Nov 21st, 2024
Occasional Digest - a story for you

Fans bounded onto the field, threw balls and water bottles at players and possibly took a few swings at one another at Dodger Stadium this weekend.

None of these antics, however, led to any arrests, according to police.

The Dodgers clinched a 7-5 win in their first game against the San Diego Padres on Saturday, but on Sunday they suffered a lopsided 10-2 defeat, tying the National League Division Series at one game apiece. The first team to win three games will advance to the National League Championship Series, while the other begins an extended vacation.

At least two fans were ejected from Saturday’s game after they made their way onto left field. Stadium security walked the men with their arms bound behind their backs as fans in the stands booed and jeered, according to video shared on social media.

The Los Angeles Police Department said there were no reports of any arrests and no radio calls for police at the stadium on Saturday or Sunday. LAPD Officer Drake Madison said that any videos that showed people being escorted out of the stadium would have likely been addressed by stadium security.

Several videos circulated on X showed fans wearing Dodger jerseys exchanging punches in the concourse, in the stands and in the parking lot.

A Dodgers spokesman, however, said the clips showing brawls among fans were not taken Sunday: “Those are old videos … Everyone is wearing a mask,” the spokesman said, alluding to the fact that the videos were recorded several years ago.

While Shohei Ohtani delivered a three-run home run to help power Saturday’s come-from-behind victory, the Dodgers were unable to carry that momentum into Sunday’s game. And cooler heads did not prevail, with a brawl breaking out in the parking lot, according to emergency radio dispatch reports.

Some Padres players did their part Sunday to get under the fans’ skin.

In one instance, Padres left fielder Jurickson Profar reached over the left-field fence to snag what would have been a home-run hit by Mookie Betts, but rather than revealing that he had the ball, he faced the stands and bounced up and down while Betts made his way around the bases. Then Profar turned and threw the ball to the infield, resulting in outrage from the stands.

In another, fans directed profanities and one-finger salutes to Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr., who blew kisses to the stands and seemed to strut after making a wild catch in the fourth inning.

Heading into the seventh inning, fans threw two baseballs into the outfield. Dozens of security guards lined up on the foul line after the umpires consulted with the Padres bullpen, according to Sunday’s broadcast. Beer cans and water bottles followed soon after.

This resulted in a roughly 10-minute delay of the game.

The Dodgers are set to face the Padres in San Diego on Tuesday.

Times staff writer Steve Henson contributed to this report.

Source link