Jeffrey Mayer was as perplexed as you were by the Yankees fan interference in Game 4.

As millions of viewers watched in bewilderment as two New York Yankees Fans ripped the baseball out of Mookie Betts’ glove. Jeff Mayer put his son to bed Tuesday.

Mayer, who said he has watched every Yankees postseason game live, accidentally missed this particular game. But when he saw the replay, he could understand. Something like that.

Mayer, now 40, was just 12 when his full name was Jeffrey Mayer — became infamously associated with the Yankee dynasty of the 1990s. In the eighth inning of Game 1 of the 1996 American League Championship Series, Mayer vaulted over the right field wall at former Yankee Stadium to catch Derek Jeter’s fly ball, which was ruled the game-tying home run. Baltimore Orioles confusion. The Yankees won the game and the World Series.

But 28 years later, Mayer was as puzzled as anyone when he saw a replay of a match between two Yankees fans. disturbing with Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder in game 4.

“How should I put it… I really don’t know what to do with this,” Mayer said. Athletic on Wednesday. “I certainly look back on my 12-year experience and can think about how everything at that moment became me and the ball. … It was just an instinctive catch.

“Yesterday’s viewing was obviously very different. I think the original plan may have been for this fan to get the ball, but once it’s in the glove… I can’t quite understand what the thought process was there, especially for two adults.”

Austin Capobianco, 38, of Connecticut, was ejected after an incident that resulted from an illegal ball hit. Gleyber Torres at the end of the first half. Another fan, identified by ESPN as Jon Peter, was also ejected. Major League Baseball banned both fans from attending Game 5 on Wednesday, a league spokesman said.

Mayer spoke lightheartedly, comparing his 1996 moment to Tuesday’s scene. He said he doesn’t mind being cited whenever a fan interference incident like this comes up. In fact, he said his early moment of fame had a positive impact on his life and helped him stay connected with friends and colleagues.

“It became very easy for me to talk about it because I’m 40 now, I have my own children, and I’m pretty far away from this event,” Mayer said.

As for what he’ll say to the two fans associated with Betts on Tuesday, Meyer thinks the opposite.

“I don’t know if there is anything to say. From their point of view, I’m sure they feel a lot of regret and remorse,” he said. “I’m sure what may have seemed good at the time may not play out too well for them today.

“My advice is don’t do it again and I’m sure it cost them dearly. I know from all three of my boys asking me about going to the World Series and me showing them how expensive the seats were, these guys probably have a lot of money right now and they probably aren’t too happy about what they can only catch the first batter of the game for the Yankees.

Mayer credits his father with having a lot to do with his perspective on when he was bothering fans. That helps them now find common ground on age and hobbies: His oldest son is 14, the middle boy is 12 and the youngest is 10, and their bond over baseball is “special,” he said.

“They know exactly what I did when I was 12,” Mayer said with a laugh, adding that they are all adult Yankees fans despite living in New England.

Mayer said that even the most passionate fans need a line, and “this line probably takes them out of the glove.” But Mayer still understands the impulse. According to him, any fan, especially if he plays this sport, will have a desire to react to the ball in the air. An avid baseball player’s heart always skips a beat with the snap of the bat, even if it’s just a lazy swing from Torres.

Mayer would know. Years after rising over Tony Tarasco’s head and carrying Jeter’s home run over the wall, Mayer became a Division III baseball star, breaking the career record at Connecticut Wesleyan University and finishing his four years with a .373 batting average.

So, will Mayer make the same decision at age 40 that he made at age 12 and reach for the ball if it helps the Yankees win the World Series?

“I think I might have torn my hamstring trying to move that fast compared to me when I was a young guy,” Mayer said, laughing again, adding, “I couldn’t say yes or say no.

“The instinct is there, the tendons and stuff are probably not as loose as they used to be.”

(Top photo: Manny Millan/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)