Balls thrown from the stands, apparently aimed at Profar, interrupt the Padres' victory in NLDS Game 2

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tempers flared on the field and in the stands at Dodger Stadium as fans threw baseballs, apparently at San Diego left fielder Jurickson Profar, and then trash that led to a 12th during the seventh inning -minute wait between pitches led to the Padres' 10-2 victory in Game 2 of the NL Division Series on Sunday night.

Profar had robbed Mookie Betts of a home run in the first inning by reaching into the stands behind the low left field wall. Left field umpire Adrian Johnson circled his arm, signaling a home run.

But Profar fought off the fans' outstretched arms, churned the ball with the webbing of his glove and helped the Padres tie the best-of-five series at one game apiece.

“He tried,” Profar said of a fan who tried to grab the ball. “I poured water on him.”

Profar hopped away backwards as he stared at the astonished fans, then threw the ball into the infield. Later there were verbal arguments between fans and Profar.

“He said the fans out there were trying to get it out of his glove,” Padres slugger Manny Machado said. “What a great catch to open the game.”

With San Diego leading 4-1 and Yu Darvish warming up for the end of the seventh period, fans appeared to shout at Profar, who gestured to them with his right arm.

A few balls were thrown. Johnson approached him and was soon joined by Padres manager Mike Shildt, players from San Diego and other referees. Profar yelled and pointed before teammate Xander Bogaerts wrapped an arm around him and Padres players, including Darvish, formed a huddle.

“Yes, I was upset. “You can hurt someone,” Profar said. “I hope our people in San Diego don’t do that.”

Profar said Dodgers fans “wanted to start throwing stuff on the field yesterday.”

Dodgers security personnel tried to identify the fans who caused the trouble.

“We were looking for a stronger security presence in the left corner of the pitch to ensure that this behavior does not continue and to ensure that anyone who throws something onto the pitch is immediately identified and removed from the stadium.” “Referee Crew- Chief Dan Bellino said.

Public address announcer Todd Leitz told the crowd, “We ask that you please refrain from throwing anything onto the field.”

“They are in a difficult environment,” Machado said. “Some things are said to you, but once you start throwing things on the field, it’s just inappropriate.”

There was trash on the warning track in right field near the Padres bullpen.

“Now we had a second incident that occurred in a different part of the stadium, so we had to reiterate with security that we also need increased security in the right field,” Bellino said.

After the seventh inning, Machado gathered his teammates for a quick meeting in their dugout.

Machado said his message was, “Just stay focused.”

Dodgers starter Jack Flaherty hit Fernando Tatis Jr. with a pitch in the sixth inning, and Profar exchanged words with Dodgers catcher Will Smith.

Machado was annoyed that Tatis went down.

“You can’t get him out, don’t hit him,” he said. “They have the best player in the game, (Shohei) Ohtani. We're not going out and trying to meet Ohtani. We’re trying to get him out.”

Flaherty hit Machado with a swing, Tatis and another runner in the sixth.

“He made a few s—s between innings. He threw a ball into our dugout,” Flaherty said. “There was no reason for that.”

Asked about Flaherty's accusation, Machado said: “I throw balls into dugouts all the time. Both shelters. They have bad balls, so you throw the ball back in.”

Bellino said the situation never escalated to the point where referees considered sending players off the field.

“We wouldn’t hesitate to do that if we thought their safety was at risk,” he said. “And if that were to continue, then obviously it would be referred to the commissioner's office to see if any potential forfeiture would be necessary.”

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