Ranking the 8 Most Infamous Fan Interferences in MLB History

Every MLB team wants its fans to get into the game (in non-coronavirus times, of course). Sometimes, though, fans get a little too into the game.

Officially defined as "spectator interference," it's a real and persistent phenomenon at MLB stadiums from coast to coast. It has changed the outcome of key contests and, in some cases, altered the lives of the fans in question.

With that in mind, let's rank eight of the most infamous instances of fan interference, taking into account historical significance, the novelty factor, the stakes involved and a dollop of subjectivity.

Don't try any of this at a ballpark near you.

No. 8: Phillies Fan Gets Tased

This one had little to no impact on the outcome of the game, but it was memorable nonetheless.

During a game between the Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals on May 3, 2010, a 17-year-old Phils fan ran onto the field and led security guards on a protracted chase around the outfield grass.

In the end, he met the wrong end of a taser, was escorted off the field in cuffs and was sentenced to 80 hours of community service. He also gained a lifetime of viral infamy, though not the kind anyone should covet.

No. 7: Gary Sheffield vs. the Red Sox Fan

Kevin P. Casey/Associated Press

There are many chapters in the New York Yankees-Boston Red Sox rivalry, some of which are far uglier than others. That includes the 2005 incident between Yankees outfielder Gary Sheffield and a violent Sox supporter.

On April 14, 2005, Sheffield went after a fly ball that was headed toward the stands at Fenway Park. A Boston fan took a swing at Sheffield's face and connected with an uppercut.

"Something hit me in the mouth. It felt like a hand," he told reporters after the game. "I thought my lip was busted."

Sheffield shoved the fan, threw the ball back toward the field and then turned with a cocked fist but ultimately restrained himself. Considering he had the muscle to swat 509 career home runs, that was probably good news for the fan.

No. 6: The Baby Catch

This isn't the most infamous instance of fan interference at Wrigley Field (we'll get to that shortly), but it is the most notable one involving an infant.

On June 23, 2015, Cubs pitcher Jason Hammel hit a pop-up to the right side. Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez went to make the catch, but he was thwarted by a fan who snagged the ball barehanded while continuing to give his baby a bottle.

The play was initially ruled a foul ball, but upon review, umpires changed the call to fan interference.

One thing that wasn't interfered with? Feeding time.

No. 5: The '10 Cent Beer Night' Debacle

On June 4, 1974, the Cleveland Indians learned the hard way that "10 cent beer night" wasn't a wise idea.

Per the rules of the promotion, fans were limited to six beers per purchase. But there was no limit placed on the number of dime-priced brews that could be bought and imbibed during the game.

Things got predictably ugly, especially since the Indians and their opponents that night, the Texas Rangers, had been involved in a bench-clearing brawl the previous week in Arlington.

The situation came to a head in the ninth inning when an Indians fan charged the field. More quickly followed, some of whom were armed with chains, knives and clubs.

Cleveland police eventually cleared out the crowd, and the Indians ultimately forfeited to the Rangers. 

No. 4: The Chris Chambliss Walk-Off

In Game 5 of the 1976 American League Championship Series, Yankees first baseman Chris Chambliss hit a walk-off home run to send New York to the World Series. But he ran into a little trouble on his way to home plate.

Chambliss was mobbed by fans as he attempted, unsuccessfully, to make his round-tripper official. 

"My emotions really changed from exhilaration to fear when I hit second base," he would later recall. "There [were] a lot of people all over the field. A lot happened during that run around the bases."

Later, Chambliss recalled, his teammates asked him if he'd touched home. The answer, apparently, was no.

"I put on a jacket and I took two security guards. I put my arms around them and the three of us went through the crowd and went up towards home plate, which was gone, by the way. Somebody stole that plate," Chambliss said. "I put my foot on that area and that was about as official as we could do it."

No. 3: Hank Aaron's Unexpected Entourage

On April 8, 1974, Hank Aaron launched the 715th home run of his Hall of Fame career, passing Babe Ruth for first on the all-time list.

Two fans decided to share Aaron's historic moment by rushing the field and patting him on the back as he rounded second base.

They were quickly apprehended and taken into custody, but they reunited with Aaron more than three decades later in 2010.

"The older you get, the more you think about it," Aaron told reporters after the reunion. "I'm just glad things worked out the way they did. It could have been a lot worse. They were having fun with it as kids. They didn't get beat up and all that. I think they spent two or three hours in jail. Other than that, it was a happy moment." 

No. 2: Derek Jeter's Assisted Home Run

In the eighth inning of Game 1 of the 1996 American League Championship Series, Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter hit a pivotal home run—with a major assist from 12-year-old Jeffrey Maier.

New York was trailing by a run when Jeter hit a deep fly ball. Baltimore Orioles right fielder Tony Tarasco went back with a chance to make the catch when Maier reached over the wall and reeled in the ball.

An irate Tarasco and a number of fellow Orioles players and coaches protested the call. But the field umpire's ruling of a home run stood, and the Yanks went on to win the game and the series.

"Like any 12-year-old attending his or her first Yankees playoff game, I was sure to bring my glove, and I crossed my fingers that two things would happen: first, that the Yankees would win; and of secondary importance, that I might bring home a souvenir, game-used baseball," Maier wrote in a 2014 retrospective for Bleacher Report.

As it turned out, he got all of that and then some.

No. 1: The Bartman Incident

AMY SANCETTA/Associated Press

You knew this was coming.

On October 14, 2003, in the eighth inning of Game 6 of the National League Championship Series, the Chicago Cubs held a 3-0 lead. They were up 3-2 in the best-of-seven series and were five outs away from a long-awaited trip to the World Series.

Florida Marlins second baseman Luis Castillo hit a pop fly toward foul territory. Cubs outfielder Moises Alou made an effort to catch it, but a fan named Steve Bartman reached for the ball and etched his name forever in the cursed Cubbies' lore.

Chicago ultimately allowed eight runs in the inning, lost the game and fell to the Marlins in Game 7. Multiple other factors contributed to the outcome, but it was Bartman who bore the brunt of the ire. He was escorted from the stadium while covering his face amid a torrent of expletives and received death threats.

Thirteen years later, Bartman was redeemed when the Cubs busted their historic championship drought and awarded him an honorary World Series ring.

But his name was and always will be synonymous with fan interference.