Tuesday’s Game 4 of the ALCS was one for the nostalgic record books.
In the second inning, Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano hit what was ruled a home run to right field.
On second glance it became obvious a fan had made contact with Nelson Cruz’s glove as the right fielder went up to make the catch.
The umpires could have, and probably should have, reviewed the play, but decided to let the home run stand.
The sequence reminded baseball fans of the Jeffrey Maier incident in Game 1 of the 1996 ALCS in which a 12-year-old boy reached out and aided a Derek Jeter hit ball over the fence.
What made the night so special, however, was that just three innings later, a Steve Bartman-like Yankees fan blocked left fielder Bret Gardner from recording a third and final out.
Fortunately for the clumsy ticket holder, Josh Hamilton subsequently popped out, leaving the fan off the hook for what could have quickly turned ugly.
Baseball is a beautiful game where you can see something new in every single at-bat, but sometimes, history does tend to repeat itself.
If only the game would have been decided on a ground ball through the legs of the first baseman.
