While Cody Bellinger has produced at an otherworldly level for the Los Angeles Dodgers thus far, his 2019 season took a strange turn in each of his past two games.
Hours after Bellinger looked shaken up over his foul-ball line drive hitting a fan in the head, he was approached by a fan who ran onto the field of play at Dodger Stadium. The young woman, a minor, was quickly detained by security, and the Dodgers and Colorado Rockies continued with the ninth inning.
The next night, with the Dodgers facing the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field, Bellinger was again approached while standing in right field. Like the previous incident, the woman was apprehended by security and taken off the field.
According to Jorge Castillo of the L.A. Times, she additionally was arrested and banned by the Diamondbacks from visiting Chase Field until otherwise noted:
Monday’s offender was arrested for disorderly conduct and trespassing in the third degree, according to an Arizona Diamondbacks spokesperson. She was booked into jail and has been banned from Chase Field indefinitely.
Although the fan who interrupted play at Dodger Stadium was caught by security, she was not arrested. The course of action by law enforcement and the Diamondbacks is a welcomed sight and perhaps necessary in efforts to deter future perpetrators.
Though, just as the Dodgers finished their win on Tuesday, another minor — this time a male — was tackled as he ran toward Kyle Garlick, Kiké Hernandez and Alex Verdugo in center field. The child was processed for disorderly conduct and trespassing through juvenile detention, and his father, who also ran onto the field, was arrested on the same charges.
Bellinger largely laughed off the first incident, largely because he could sense the girl did not mean to inflict harm. He felt the same way with the second case but also issued a call for the trespassing to come to an end so as to avoid a growing list of offenders.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts suggested the club would consider placing additional security in Bellinger’s vicinity. He was not in the lineup Tuesday and never entered into the game.
