Yankees, MLB ban fan for life after throwing baseball at Red Sox’s Alex Verdugo

NEW YORK — The New York Yankees have banned the fan who threw a baseball and hit Red Sox left fielder Alex Verdugo from Yankee Stadium for life, a team spokesman said Sunday afternoon.

Major League Baseball has also banned the fan from its other 29 ballparks, the spokesman added.

“While the Yankees appreciate the spirit and passion of our fans in our various rivalries -— especially with the Red Sox — reckless, disorderly and dangerous behavior that puts the safety of players, field staff or fellow fans in jeopardy will not be tolerated,” the Yankees said in a statement. “There is absolutely no place for it at Yankee Stadium. The safety of everyone at Yankee Stadium, including guests in the stands and players on the field, will always be the top priority for the Yankees organization every time we open our doors.”

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The Yankees plan to meet with authorities later Sunday night to provide them with all information they have about the incident, the spokesman said.

A New York City Police Department spokesman told NJ Advance Media that officers didn’t arrest the fan, who was escorted out of the stadium.

The fan hit Verdugo in the back, and it prompted Boston manager Alex Cora to pull his team off the field until tensions eased.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone called the fan’s actions “unacceptable.” He said he hoped the fan landed in jail.

“Just a bad situation and if I was Alex Cora, I would have done the same thing as far as going out and getting his guys off the field,” Boone said. “There’s zero place for that in this great game and in this great rivalry. Players should never feel like they have to worry about anything like that. I already reached out to Alex Cora, just apologizing to Alex Verdugo. That’s just a terrible, bad, sad situation. Sorry about that.”

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