What started off as something silly for Cody Bellinger and the Los Angeles Dodgers now may be beginning to become a serious matter.
During Sunday afternoon’s game against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium, a young female fan ran onto the field to give Bellinger a hug. The leading National League MVP candidate laughed it off, telling the fan that she was going to jail because of her antics. Security quickly apprehended her and play resumed.
Fast forward to Monday night’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field, and it was like déjà vu as another female fan ran onto the field again with the sole purpose of hugging Bellinger.
While both of these incidents were harmless, that may not be the case in the future if fans continue to run onto the field and straight towards him.
For that reason, Bellinger, presumably more concerned now after the back-to-back incidents, urged people to stop doing it, as seen on SportsNet LA:
“I had a feeling it was definitely a possibility (to happen again) just because it kind of blew up on social media. I’m just trying to play a game, so I don’t think I should have to worry about who’s going to come onto the field and whatnot. … I think it could be dangerous. I know it’s innocent right now but it could be dangerous. But, yeah, definitely (want it to stop).”
Because the first girl who did it on Sunday was under the age of 18, it’s not believed she wound up getting arrested for her actions.
If the issue continues, perhaps Major League Baseball or individual teams need to come up with stricter penalties for fans who muster the courage the run onto the field during a game, potentially putting players’ well-being in danger. Increased security at stadiums could also help fix the issue.
The Dodgers wound up dropping Monday’s series opener against the Diamondbacks, 8-5, seeing their six-game winning streak snapped in the process. Bellinger had a solid night at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two walks and a run-scoring double.
