Latest news with #DaveMcCaskill
Daily Mail
17 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
MLB fan gets banned for the rest of the season after interfering in games four years in a row
An Arizona Diamondbacks fan has been banned for the rest of the season after being found to have interfered with play four years in a row. The decision to ban the season ticket holder came after he swiped a potential home run away from the grasps of an outfielder during their match against the San Francisco Giants. Footage from Monday's game showed Dave McCaskill leaning over the railings and catching the ball, after a potential home run shot by the Giants' Christian Koss. It was later ruled as just a double and McCaskill was swiftly ejected from Chase Field however users on social media were quick to point out that McCaskill had been involved in an umpire review on five separate occasions, four years in a row. It was then confirmed that McCaskill had been banned from attending games for the remainder of the 2025 season after the release of a team statement. It read: 'This particular fan has been involved in multiple offenses at Chase Field. This fan will have the opportunity to return to Chase Field in 2026 so long as he meets certain terms and abides by our Fan Code of Conduct.' Should this have been ruled a home run for Christian Koss? 🤔 — SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) July 1, 2025 Meanwhile, in an interview with Fox, McCaskill explained: 'I'm a Dbacks fan. I would never want to do anything to hurt the D-backs or have them lose the game. I've only been ejected twice. 'I caught the ball, it came right down... You see my glove hit the the top, so I think the ball would have bounced on top and gone over'. However, he also admitted to being ejected on a third occasion but claimed that it didn't count as he was simply moved to another section of the stadium. He added: 'The ball was hit. I looked to my left. I feel like I'm a little bit athletic. I played a little ball in college. I thought there was a shot right down the line. 'I thought it was safe, just reading the ball like an outfielder would… My glove was above the line. I didn't go out.' Had Koss' shot left the park, it would have tied up the game in the eighth inning of play.
Fox News
20 hours ago
- Sport
- Fox News
Diamondbacks ban loyal season-ticket holder after repeated interference incidents
The Arizona Diamondbacks have finally had enough with one of their most loyal fans. Dave McCaskill is a season-ticket holder for his beloved D-Backs and owns an Advantage Membership account, which grants him access to specific events, early postseason ticket access and discounts throughout the ballpark. However, after being involved in yet another fan-interference dilemma, the Diamondbacks banned him for the remainder of the year and terminated his membership account. "This particular fan has been involved in multiple offenses at Chase Field…" the team said in a statement. "This fan will have the opportunity to return to Chase Field in 2026 so long as he meets certain terms and abides by our Fan Code of Conduct." McCaskill reached for a ball that was off the bat of San Francisco Giants third baseman Christian Koss. The ball just missed the outstretched glove of left fielder Tim Tawa. Center fielder Alek Thomas appeared to exchange words with McCaskill, who tossed the ball to Thomas. Thomas then tossed it back up. Koss was initially ruled out, but after review, he was awarded a double, and McCaskill was booted from the ballpark. Recent videos of McCaskill making plays on borderline home run balls resurfaced on social media shortly after the D-Backs' announcement. "I'm a D-Backs fan. I would never want to do anything to hurt the D-backs or to have them lose the game," McCaskill told Fox 10 Phoenix. However, he admitted to being "ejected three times." (He later corrected himself to "technically… twice.") "I caught the ball, came right down, and you see my glove hit the yellow, the top. So I think the ball would have bounced on top and gone over," McCaskill explained. Fans are not allowed to reach over the wall, or the imaginary line directly above it, to catch a ball. But, it is fair game once the ball crosses said imaginary line. Jomboy Media pointed out a total of four instances, with other social media accounts saying he's been involved in five such reviews. "What I can comment on is last night, the play happened, I want the play to play. I want the play to be played out… I want plays to be made by the players," Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. McCaskill, according to the New York Post, said he has "followed" notorious ballhawk Zack Hample, who has garnered plenty of controversy throughout his game-attending days. Hample has caught over 10,000 baseballs. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
New York Times
a day ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Diamondbacks ban ‘Home Run Thief' fan for 2025 after latest interference incident
PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday banned a fan for the rest of the season for reaching over the wall to catch a ball hit in the eighth inning of Monday night's game against the San Francisco Giants. It was the latest in a series of incidents involving Dave McCaskill, who has turned home-run catching into a sport and was the subject of a viral video Monday night that brought more attention to the situation. Advertisement 'This particular fan has been involved in multiple offenses at Chase Field,' the Diamondbacks said in a statement. 'Consequently … he is prohibited from returning to Chase Field for the remainder of 2025. This fan will have the opportunity to return to Chase Field in 2026 so long as he meets certain terms and abides by our Fan Code of Conduct.' McCaskill is retired military. He golfs, writes books and collects sports memorabilia. But at least one major-league player has jokingly referred to him as the 'Home Run Thief.' In 2022, then-Giants catcher Joey Bart hit a drive that McCaskill snagged from his front-row seat at Chase Field. After review, however, umpires ruled McCaskill had leaned over the wall to make the catch. Bart was awarded a double. He remembered this when McCaskill approached him a year later and asked him to sign the baseball — on the ball, next to Bart's signature, are the words, 'Home Run Thief.' McCaskill, 55, talked with The Athletic earlier Tuesday, before the Diamondbacks had made their decision. He said he had caught 24 home run balls during his time as a Diamondbacks season ticket holder. Some of those have prompted umpire reviews for potential interference. Including Monday night, he said he had been ejected from the park twice and relocated to a different section on another occasion. A resident of Goodyear, which is about 18 miles from downtown Phoenix, McCaskill said he has attended nearly every home game for two reasons: to cheer on the Diamondbacks and to catch home run balls. It's part of what makes the game fun for him. 'I got a foul ball my first year, and I was like, 'Oh, it's my first foul ball,'' McCaskill said. 'Then the light bulb went on and I was like, 'I need to catch a home run ball.'' Monday night, he initially got lucky. In the sixth inning, Arizona outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. belted a Logan Webb off-speed pitch over McCaskill's head in the left-field seats. Two fans tried to make the catch but failed. The ball bounced right to McCaskill. Advertisement The second one got him in trouble. With Arizona leading 3-2 in the eighth, San Francisco's Christian Koss belted a John Curtiss fastball to deep left. McCaskill said he read the ball as it came off the bat. As he has done for years, he told himself not to reach over the wall. He said he glanced at people to his left and realized they weren't pursuing the ball, so he did. After Bob Melvin's challenge, this was ruled a double for Christian Koss due to fan interference 😳 — SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) July 1, 2025 McCaskill placed his right hand on the top of the wall for support and reached out with his black Rawlings glove, catching the ball just beyond the outstretched arm of Arizona left fielder Tim Tawa. For a second, it looked like McCaskill might tumble onto the field, but he said he always felt like he was in control. Tawa and center fielder Alek Thomas immediately looked into the crowd. McCaskill said Thomas recognized him from his time at the park and called him by name. 'Dave, why do you keep doing this?' Thomas said, according to McCaskill. (You can see Thomas talking to McCaskill in the clip above.) McCaskill said he explained to Thomas that he did not think he had reached past the wall. He told him he thought the ball would've hit the top of the fence. McCaskill tossed a ball to Thomas, but it wasn't the ball that Koss had just hit. It was one of two 'dummy' balls that McCaskill had brought to the park. At certain places, it's tradition for fans to throw back home run balls hit by the visiting team. Like others, McCaskill always throws back a 'dummy' ball, pocketing the real ball for his collection. Thomas flipped the 'dummy' ball back. On the field, the umpiring crew initially called Koss out because of fan interference. After review, however, it overturned the decision but ruled that the ball would not have left the park. Koss was given a double. Should this have been ruled a home run for Christian Koss? 🤔 — SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) July 1, 2025 As play resumed, McCaskill apologized to security officials as they escorted him from the park. Before Tuesday's game between the two teams, Koss said he was glad to hear the fan had been banned, adding that it might be a deterrent to other fans from interfering. 'Yeah, I thought it was going to be a homer had he not been there,' Koss said. 'But we'll never know. It kind of turned the tide of the game.' Advertisement A security page listed on the Diamondbacks website states that fans interfering with balls in play will be ejected. McCaskill's actions went viral. Not long after Arizona's 4-2 win, the popular Jomboy Media X account posted a video collection that included McCaskill catching home run balls in each of the past four seasons. In all four, left-fielders complained of fan interference. Two of the blasts, including Bart's in 2022, were ruled doubles after review. This Diamondbacks fan has been involved in an umpire review in FOUR STRAIGHT seasons — Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) July 1, 2025 McCaskill did not immediately respond to a text message after the Diamondbacks issued their statement. Asked Tuesday about McCaskill, Giants manager Bob Melvin said, 'He should try out for a team.' (Photo of Monday night's incident involving Diamondbacks fan Dave McCaskill, in red: Rick Scuteri / Associated Press)
Associated Press
a day ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Diamondbacks ban season ticket holder for rest of season after interference during game vs. Giants
PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Diamondbacks have banned a season-ticket holder from Chase Field for the rest of the season because of 'multiple offenses' during games, including fan interference on a fly ball to the wall during Monday night's game against the San Francisco Giants. The D-backs were leading 3-2 in the eighth inning on Monday when San Francisco's Christian Koss hit a long fly ball to left field. Arizona left fielder Tim Tawa tried to make a leaping grab, but the fan made the catch with his own glove, appearing to reach over the fence. The umpires initially ruled that Koss was out, but the call was overturned after review and Koss was awarded second base. The D-backs went on to win the game 4-2. The fan — who said his name is Dave McCaskill — was ejected after the incident. McCaskill went on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM on Tuesday, saying he's been ejected three times and reviewed '9 or 10' times over the years. 'While our policy is to not publicly disclose information about our season ticket holders, the Arizona Diamondbacks are making this statement due to public speculations and multiple media inquiries regarding the fan interference incident during last night's game,' a statement from the team said. 'This particular fan has been involved in multiple offenses at Chase Field. Consequently, we have terminated his Advantage Member account and he is prohibited from returning to Chase Field for the remainder of 2025. 'This fan will have the opportunity to return to Chase Field in 2026 so long as he meets certain terms and abides by our Fan Code of Conduct.' ___ AP MLB:
