A new angle on Dodgers fans’ mockery of Jurickson Profar helps explain the NLDS drama

The debacle that unfolded in the left field seats at Dodger Stadium on Sunday night will not soon be forgotten. It all started when Jurickson Profar, who the Dodgers brought back to life when Will Smith called him “irrelevant” early in the season, ripped a deep fly ball from fans to steal a home run from Mookie Betts. Profar turned to the fans and jumped a few times, seemingly engaging in a back-and-forth with them.

There were mostly smiles everywhere, and one Dodgers fan higher up even tipped his cap to Profar. It was a beautiful game and the fans out there would probably get a little criticism for not getting the ball first, but that should have been the end of it.

What followed was a 15-minute on-field delay that brought nearly the entire Padres dugout onto the field to confer with the referees. Two balls had been thrown back onto the field and the Padres were out of luck. Fernando Tatis Jr. made matters worse by taunting fans on the right and then being pelted with trash.

There are many different perspectives on the incident, but the latest may be the worst for Dodgers fans. Profar is seen handing Betts’ stolen home run ball to a fan (wearing an…Alex Vesia jersey) in the front row. The fan shook his head and immediately threw it back into the infield to the crowd’s applause.

A second ball followed deeper into the crowd and this time it landed much closer to Profar, where the trouble really began.

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We wouldn’t be the first or last to say that the Padres are absolutely annoying. When you put Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. in the same room together, that’s a lot of fighting and selfishness. When you add a player who was offended straight away by the Dodgers and then had the best season of his career with Profar, someone who will definitely earn MVP votes, it’s a powder keg.

We also understand that this happens a lot in the outfield. If a fan receives a home run ball from a rival, he can apply pressure to return it. But come on, guys. Aren’t we better? Shouldn’t Are we better than this?

A few rowdy fans is by no means a bad fan base, but no matter how you shake it, it looks bad for the Dodgers and Dodgers fans. Even though we were shut out of Petco Park for Games 3 and 4, we’ll have to put a stop to such shenanigans if we’re going to be able to do it again for Game 5. Let the team do the talking on the field.