Major League Baseball has banned one New York Yankees fan from every ballpark for life after he hit Boston Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo with a baseball at Yankee Stadium.

Saturday night’s game between the Yankees and Red Sox was briefly delayed after Verdugo was struck by a ball that came from the left-field seats. The fan was ejected from the game and Verdugo was not seriously injured.

Verdugo tossed a baseball into the crowd, intended for a young Red Sox fan, before the bottom of the sixth inning. A Yankees fan came up with the ball and threw it back onto the field, igniting an angry reaction from Boston’s No. 2 hitter.

"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 Sunday.

"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."

Yankees manager Aaron Boone called the incident “embarrassing” and “unacceptable.” Red Sox manager Alex Cora pulled his team off the field as security identified the person responsible for throwing the baseball.

"When I went out there, it was loud, and it got nasty -- from both sides,'' Cora said Sunday. "I just needed to calm him down. That was the whole reason that I just took everybody off the field. I'm like, where he's at right now mentally, he's not going to be able to play right now. No chance.''

Reports from Yankee Stadium suggest that the fan might’ve accidentally hit Verdugo after caving to chants from the crowd to throw the ball onto the field.

Shortly before the summer, it was the NBA that made headlines because of unruly fan behavior at games. Several fans were banned from arenas after throwing something at a player during a playoff game.

A Boston Celtics fan was arrested for throwing a water bottle at Kyrie Irving's head at TD Garden in a late May postseason game.

Alex Verdugo Boston Red Sox
Alex Verdugo #99 of the Boston Red Sox gestures towards the stands during the sixth inning of the game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on July 17, 2021 in the Bronx borough of New York City. Adam Hunger/Getty Images
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