Jeffrey Maier Catches Jeter’s Home Run (1996)
Twelve-year-old Yankees fan Jeffrey Maier managed to avoid Steve Bartman levels of ignominy, but his actions in Game 1 of the 1996 American League Championship Series had every bit as much of an impact on the game’s outcome as Bartman’s would seven years later. On a deep Derek Jeter hit to right field, Maier reached over the outfield wall to catch the ball, and the umpire ruled the play a home run rather than what many felt was the correct call of spectator interference. The Yankees went on to defeat the Orioles and win the series 4-1, so it’s arguable whether Baltimore really had a chance to advance regardless, but it was still a moment that neither Maier nor the Yankees would ever forget.