When Mets players mobbed Johan Santana at the mound after his no-hitter Friday night, they were briefly joined by an airline pilot from Long Island dressed in jorts and a Gary Carter jersey. You can see dude pretty clearly in the video of the celebration, including the moment when a couple of security guards tackle him to the ground right next to the pitcher's mound.
Anyway, the New York Post caught up with the guy. His name is Rafael Diaz. He's 32. He and a friend both tried to make a mad dash onto Citi Field after the final out. Diaz went first and got all the way to the party. The friend got caught before he reached the first-base line. Both men had to spend Friday and Saturday nights in jail, where one of the jailers even showed Diaz video footage of his fun time on the field.
Here's the Post:
Diaz paid a stiff penalty, both at home and Citi Field.
He missed his 1-year-old son's birthday party Saturday, and the Mets have banned him for life from their home park.
"That's the bad part," Diaz said of missing his son's bash.
Eh. It's not like the kid's gonna recall that his father wasn't there. But he'll always remember why.
Photo via Getty.
[New York Post, via Big League Stew/The 700 Level; h/t to Roberto]