Overzealous Diamondbacks fan forces umpire review for fourth straight season
One Diamondbacks fan just can’t stop wreaking havoc from the outfield stands at Chase Field. The same fan has been involved in umpire reviews in four straight seasons, Jomboy Media found, each time after reaching over the fence from his seats in left-center field to grab a potential home run. The most recent incident, during the Diamondbacks’ 4-2 win over the Giants on Monday night, was the most egregious of all. San Francisco outfielder Christian Koss launched a fly ball deep into left-center in the eighth inning while trailing 3-2, and as Arizona outfielder Tim Tawa leaped up in an effort to make a catch at the wall, the fan stuck his glove over the fence and snatched the ball. The play was ruled an out for fan interference at first, but it was ultimately deemed that the fan did not interfere with Tawa, who was not in a position to make the catch.Koss ended up with a double, but the fan was ejected from the ballpark nonetheless.The ball potentially could have been a game-tying homer, and the Giants failed to score Koss while losing for the seventh time in 10 games.The fan’s first incident came on July 6, 2022, when he reached over the wall and caught a ball that was not on track to fly over the fence.The play was ruled an automatic double. On May 6, 2023, in the Diamondbacks’ eventual 8-7 win over the Nationals, the fan caught Lourdes Gurriel Jr.’s ninth-inning tying home run from the stands, snagging it inches away from the outstretched arms of Washington left fielder Stone Garrett. After review, that home run call was upheld. A similar play unfolded on July 28, 2024, with the fan snagging a home run and seemingly interfering with the left fielder, although that play, too, was deemed a home run. Then came the fan’s annual time to shine this year, which has fans calling for him to be banned from the ballpark. “He absolutely needs to be banned,” wrote one fan on X, with most others sharing that sentiment.Another put it more succinctly: “...