Hample told NJ Media the man fighting him for the ball “was basically throwing punches and absolutely assaulting me like a maniac.”
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“For 10, 15, 20 seconds, he was trying to injure me,” Hample said.
The Yankees released a statement on the incident that read:
An incident took place between Zack Hample and another fan during batting practice when an Orioles player attempted to toss a ball into the right-field stands. After a brief altercation, the two parties were separated.
After carefully reviewing video recordings of the incident — in which no punches were thrown and there was not a clear determination of who was the aggressor — Yankees operations personnel reassigned the other fan, along with his father, to a different seat location within the stadium. Reports were also taken by security officials.
After receiving treatment for his injuries, Hample returned to his season-ticket seat in right field where he caught Ryan Flaherty’s third-inning home run.
