Fan at wall: 'I touched it after it was a home run'

Jared Macchirole was adamant he didn't do anything wrong. "The ball was coming toward me and we just reached for it," the 20-year-old Middle Village resident said last night as he and a buddy tried to avoid reporters and security on their way to a restroom.

With one out in the second inning of Game 4 of the ALCS, Robinson Cano homered to rightfield. Macchirole and his friend leaned forward to try and catch the ball. An arm glanced against Texas rightfielder Nelson Cruz's glove.

"It was coming right toward us," said Macchirole, a graduate of Archbishop Molloy who, according to Facebook, is a Penn State student. "It was a home run, anyway. I touched it after it was a home run. It was a home run. It hit the cement before it touched us.

"He was yelling at me, but I wasn't going to say anything," the season-ticket holder, who came home from college for Games 3 and 4, said of Cruz. "It was a home run. I was celebrating the home run beforehand. I don't remember what he said. Honestly, I didn't hear a thing. Everyone was celebrating."

Two batters later, designated hitter Lance Berkman circled the bases after launching a called home run down the rightfield line. But moments later, the umpires reviewed the play and reversed the call, saying the ball landed just foul.