A bizarre and ugly delay interrupted Yankees-Mets on Friday night when a fan sprinted onto the field at Yankee Stadium carrying a Palestinian flag at exactly 9:11 p.m., during the 25th anniversary of Sept. 11.
The man came from the left-field seats and headed toward center field before security finally caught him on the outfield grass. He was wearing a “No Kings” jersey, and once officers got him beyond the outfield wall, fans tossed beer cans and drinks in his direction. The crowd booed, then started chanting “USA.”
The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty described the scene as it happened: “Security tackles a fan who ran onto the field at Yankee Stadium at 9:11 p.m. with a Palestinian flag.” He also wrote, “Fans threw beer cans at him once security got him beyond the outfield wall.”
The stoppage came in the top of the seventh with the Mets loaded with bases, Francisco Lindor batting with two outs and a 3-2 count, and the Yankees leading 5-2. Brent Headrick threw a few warm-up pitches while play was halted. When the game resumed, Lindor lined out to end the inning.
TMZ later identified the man as 38-year-old Kelly Marcucci. Police charged him with trespass and a local ordinance violation. The Yankees declined to comment.
The timing made the whole thing impossible to miss. The game was being played on the 25th anniversary of the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people.
Derek Jeter and other members of the 2001 Yankees were in the ballpark, and a husband and wife who each lost a father on Sept. 11 threw out the first pitches. Flags around the frieze were at half-mast, and the Yankees had spent the afternoon in Monument Park.
This wasn’t a routine security lapse. It was a political stunt dropped into the middle of a memorial night, and it forced a brief but jarring pause before the Subway Series moved on. The man was taken away in cuffs, and the “USA” chants kept following him as he disappeared from center field.
In Other News...
Juan Soto Still Knows Why This Yankees Return Feels Complicated
Juan Sotos return to the city comes with a familiar mix of warmth and tension, and he seemed to recognize both sides of it before a Subway Series matchup. After choosing the Mets in free agency following his time with the Yankees, Soto acknowledged what he has already felt in the stands and around the team he left behind: some Yankees fans still appreciate what he gave them, while others have not been quite as forgiving.
The bigger backdrop only sharpens the contrast. Since Sotos decision in 2024, the Yankees have generally looked like the club with the steadier process, while the Mets have had a harder time matching that standard. Soto still left a real imprint during his Yankees run, and enough respect remains there to make this feel less like a clean break than a complicated reunion. [Read more 🡒]
Juan Soto Gave Yankees Fans A Brutal New Subway Series Talking Point
Juan Sotos first Subway Series game in Yankees pinstripes was the kind of night that can linger with a fan base, especially in a city where every swing and every misplay gets magnified. He went 1-for-5 with multiple strikeouts and never found the sort of impact at-bat that usually comes with his name, leaving the Yankees searching for a bigger moment from one of their most important bats.
The glove work in left field only added to the frustration, with some of the attention going to lapses in effort and positioning that stood out in a tight, emotional matchup. It was an ugly opening chapter against the Mets, though the larger story remains unfinished, and the Yankees will be hoping this is the low point rather than a sign of what the rivalry has in store. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Just Lost A Former Top Pitching Prospect For Nothing
A former top Yankees pitching prospect is moving on without the club getting anything back, with Washington claiming right-hander Chase Hampton off waivers and sending him to Double-A. Hampton had been part of the Yankees longer-term pitching pipeline, so this is the kind of departure that stings a little more than a routine roster shuffle, especially when another organization is willing to give him a fresh spot and a more immediate path forward.
To make room, the Nationals cleared a 40-man opening by shifting right-hander Matt Waldron from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list, which ends his 2026 season. Washington also activated left-hander Richard Lovelady from the 60-day injured list, a pair of moves that helped complete the transaction around Hampton while leaving the Yankees with nothing in return. [Read more 🡒]