World Series News: ‘Gronk’ Has Shocking Take on Yankee Fan Who Interfered With Mookie Betts

The fan who interfered with Mookie Betts in the first inning of Game 4 of the World Series on Tuesday quickly became a polarizing figure. Most pilloried Austin Capobianco for attempting to rip a live ball, or Betts’ glove, from his hand. Yankee fans applauded his persistence.

The only opinion that mattered at the moment was that of the Yankee Stadium security guards who escorted Capobianco and John Peter (who grabbed Betts’ free hand) out of the stadium.

Capobianco has one fan in a high place: Rob Gronkowski.

The longtime New England Patriots tight end is an unlikely ally. The overlap in the Venn diagram of Patriots and Boston Red Sox fans is enormous. The Boston faithful cheered Betts for years as he led the Sox to a World Series victory in 2018. If they do not root for him still, most Boston fans cannot bring themselves to root for the Yankees to beat the Dodgers — or anyone, for that matter — in the World Series.

In Gronkowski’s case, he was a fan of Capobianco before he was a hero in New England.

“Here’s a little fun fact: that guy … was my friend in college,” Gronkowski said on the Up & Adams Show on Wednesday. “He was on the ice hockey team, the club Arizona Wildcats hockey team. The whole hockey team, they were absolute maniacs. They were … animals. Just undescribable (sic) how wild those guys were.

“He is all in for his teams. He is all in for the Yankees. I remember him talking about the Yankees all the time, how he loves them so much. That describes him perfectly, just doing whatever it takes to help his team out. He is a beauty. I just want to say congratulations for shining when your moment came.”

A deep dive into Capobianco’s Twitter/X profile reveals a series of posts in which he tagged Gronkowski from 2011-12.

“They were fun, that’s for sure,” Gronkowski said. “He’s a fun dude. It is unacceptable definitely in the world of sports but when you’re a fan, that’s what fans do.”

More News: Legendary Dodgers Pitcher Passes Away

Gronkowski reiterated his “unacceptable” comment, but it’s hard to reconcile that sentiment with his congratulating Capobianco for doing something against the rule of fan conduct.

ESPN interviewed Capobianco after the game. Betts spoke to reporters after the game too, saying “when it comes to the person in play, it doesn’t matter. We lost. It’s irrelevant. I’m fine. He’s fine. Everything’s cool. We lost the game and that’s what I’m kind of focused on. We got to turn the page and get ready for (Game 5).”

Rob Reinhart of the New York Herald reported that Capobianco was heard shouting racial slurs at several officers as he was escorted from Yankee Stadium.

Regardless of geographical allegiances, Gronkowski (and other professional athletes, former and current) ought to be more careful who they’re perceived as defending. Gronk said he read the ESPN piece, which did not probe Capobianco about his shouting racial slurs at officers inside Yankee Stadium.

Wednesday, MLB reportedly asked the Yankees to ban Capobianco and Peter from Game 5.

Ultimately, it appears as if justice prevailed in right field at Yankee Stadium.

For more MLB news, visit Newsweek Sports.