Stadium security guards have traditionally gone in for the tackle whenever fans rush the field at Major League Baseball games.
And as one young boy learned in San Diego on Tuesday, the modus operandi goes unchanged when the infiltrator is a child.
Viral footage from the Padres’ 5-1 win over the San Francisco Giants shows the boy circling San Diego right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. as security closed in around him.
Standing perfectly still, Tatis watched as one guard finally got two hands on the boy as another colleague lowered his head for the tackle. Consequently, the boy and several security guards came crashing to the turf amid a chorus of boos from the crowd.
And those boos weren’t directed at the child, who interrupted the game in the eighth inning, but rather at the overzealous security guards.
There were also reactions among the players, including Padres reliever Jason Adam, who grimaced as the tackle was made.
The child initially ran around in a circle before security quickly closed in on the young man
The good times came to an end with a guard grabbed the boy and another came in for a tackle
Tatis, however, remained stoic as the child was dragged off by security.
Another fan would rush the field in the ninth inning, but she appeared slightly older than the boy who’d been apprehended earlier.
Daily Mail has reached out to San Diego police and Padres spokespeople for more information. The team has since responded in a statement.
‘Elite security followed Petco Park protocols for persons illegally entering the field of play that are designed to protect player, coach and umpire safety,’ read the team statement.
‘Fans are strictly prohibited from entering the field or any other restricted areas. Such violations of the Fan Code of Conduct lead to immediate ejection from the park and potential revocation of future ticket privileges. The Padres maintain a zero-tolerance policy for such violations.’
Five-time All-Star Adam Jones reacted harshly online, writing: ‘Anyone who runs on the field should be fined 10k or harsher. No space for it in baseball.
‘This looks like a kid who shook the hell outta the security. But I’d be fining his parents,’ he added.
A security guard tackles a fan who ran on the field during the ninth inning of a game between the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres at Petco Park. She was the second to do so
It’s unclear if the parents were in attendance at the game.
Neither of the field invaders on Tuesday have been identified publicly.
It was the second straight game in which Padres fans interfered with play.
On Monday, San Diego’s Xander Bogaerts had a home run overturned because a fan had reached over the fence to catch it. The Padres would ultimately drop their fourth straight, 4-3.
Wednesday’s 5-1 win put the Padres two games behind the Dodgers in the National League West. The team also has a 3.5-game cushion in the Wild Card chase.
