A Toronto Blue Jays fan was arrested and charged with mischief Wednesday night for his role in an ugly scene that saw some in attendance at the Rogers Centre throw debris toward the field during Game 5 of the American League Division Series.
According to the Canadian Press (h/t the Toronto Star), Albert Grummitt is accused of throwing a can of beer that subsequently sprayed a baby.
The incident happened after a bizarre play in the seventh inning that saw the Texas Rangers take a 3-2 lead. Blue Jays catcher Russell Martin attempted to throw the ball back to the pitcher, but his toss deflected off Rangers outfielder Shin-Soo Choo in the batter's box, allowing Rougned Odor to score from third base.
Umpires upheld the ruling on the field after reviewing the play, and that resulted in trash being hurled from the stands.
Toronto went on to win the game 6-3 and advance to the American League Championship Series. The Rangers committed three consecutive errors in the bottom of the seventh inning, and Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista made them pay with a three-run home run.
According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the situation in the top of the seventh inning was so dangerous that Rangers manager Jeff Banister nearly pulled his team off the field, and the umpires considered sending both teams to their dugouts.
Blue Jays Vice President of Stadium Operations and Security Mario Coutinho believed it was an isolated incident, telling Fox Sports:
Quite frankly, I think it was an emotional reaction to a call on the field. It was not the normal behavior of fans in Toronto. They're pretty docile, for the most part. But passion is running pretty high now. Unfortunately, they reacted. You can't prepare for something like that.
The Blue Jays face the Royals in the ALCS, starting Friday night in Kansas City. They hadn't been to the postseason, let alone to the second round, since winning back-to-back World Series titles in 1992-93.
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