Tough Call: Fan catches Moustakas blast near top of wall but still ruled homer

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Toronto Blue Jays caught a tough break Friday when a drive from Royals slugger Mike Moustakas was ruled a home run after a fan caught the ball near the top of the right-field wall at Kauffman Stadium.

The second-inning play gave Kansas City a 2-0 lead in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series. The Royals went on to win 4-3 to take the series in six games.

Toronto right-fielder Jose Bautista immediately claimed there was fan interference on the play. The Blue Jays asked for a review but the ruling was upheld.

The fan was identified by the Kansas City Star as 19-year-old Caleb Humphreys. He used his glove to catch the ball just as it approached the top of the wall. Television replays could not definitively show whether the ball would have cleared the wall or remained in the field of play had he not touched it.

“From where I was looking, my point of view, it seemed like the ball never left the yard,” Bautista said. “So the ball, I felt, from where I was looking, got pulled into the home run territory inside of a baseball glove that a fan owns.

“But I haven’t seen every angle so it’s hard for me to say that they made a mistake.”

Kansas City will play the New York Mets in the World Series.

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