Fact Check: Should Harrison Bader's HR have been revoked due to interference? Rules and regulations explained

Harrison Bader went deep in the bottom of the first inning to give the New York Yankees a commanding 4-0 lead over the Oakland Athletics. The umpires reviewed it for fan interference and ruled that it was a legal home run. Was this accurate?

Many baseball fans speculated that this was interference and the umpires at least felt that they should check it out. They upheld the call and allowed Bader to round the bases. Was this fair?

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Harrison Bader's home run: Legal or not?

According to the rules, it was not an illegal interference. When a ball is leaving the yard, which that one was, fans are not required to stand back and allow an outfielder ample room to make an attempt. If they can catch it, then they're allowed to.

Harrison Bader celebrating his legal home run

Based on that replay above, it's clear the ball was heading out of the stadium. That's what the umpires saw, which is why they let the call stay. MLB.com's rules state:

"When a spectator clearly prevents a fielder from catching a fly ball by reaching onto the field of play, the batter shall be ruled out. But no interference is called if a spectator comes in contact with a batted or thrown ball without reaching onto the field of play -- even if a fielder might have caught the ball had the spectator not been there."

That makes it pretty clear that the fan who caught Harrison Bader's three-run bomb was not in the wrong. There have been and will be plenty of questionable fan interference calls over the years, but this doesn't appear to be one for the Yankees.