The game was in the top of the seventh inning when the individual reportedly came out of the left-field seating area and made it onto the playing surface.
Wearing what appeared to be a Palestinian flag, the person sprinted across the outfield as stadium security and law enforcement officers rushed to stop the disruption.
For several moments, the intruder managed to stay ahead of those chasing him.
That did not last long.
Security personnel eventually caught up with the individual on the outfield grass, brought him to the ground and took him into custody.
The spectator was subsequently carried toward the center-field area and removed from the playing field.
According to the New York Post, the person kicked at members of security as they carried him away.
The stunt did not appear to go over well with the Yankee Stadium crowd.
Fans loudly booed the field invader, while some spectators positioned above the Mets bullpen reportedly hurled beer cans in his direction as authorities escorted him away.
Then came an unmistakable response from the stands.
“USA.”
The patriotic chant rang through Yankee Stadium following the interruption, transforming an already emotionally charged evening into an extraordinary scene.
Authorities had not publicly identified the individual as of the initial reports, and it remained unclear how the spectator managed to get past stadium barriers and reach the field.
The incident was particularly striking because Friday night’s game was far from an ordinary meeting between New York’s two Major League Baseball clubs.
The Yankees had devoted the evening to remembering the nearly 3,000 people killed in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Before the game began, current Yankees players participated in a solemn wreath-laying ceremony at the September 11 monument located inside Monument Park.
Honor guards representing the New York Police Department, New York City Fire Department and Port Authority Police Department took part in the pregame tribute.
A massive American flag was stretched across the outfield as the stadium honored the victims, their families and the first responders whose courage became synonymous with that terrible day.
Opera tenor James Valenti performed the national anthem.
Lee Greenwood later performed “God Bless America,” adding to an evening centered heavily on remembrance and patriotism.
The Yankees also welcomed back some of the most recognizable members of the team that represented New York during the traumatic months following the attacks.
Derek Jeter, Joe Torre, Jorge Posada, Paul O’Neill, Tino Martinez, Scott Brosius and Mariano Rivera were among the members of the 2001 Yankees who participated in the anniversary observances.
For many Americans, that Yankees team remains inseparable from memories of New York’s recovery after September 11.
Baseball returned to the city while New Yorkers were still grieving, and Yankee Stadium became one of many gathering places where Americans attempted to find a sense of normalcy and unity.
Friday’s ceremony also put the families of September 11 victims at the center of the commemoration.
Brielle Saracini and Sean McGuire, each of whom lost a parent in the attacks, were selected to throw ceremonial first pitches representing children who lost a mother or father on September 11.
The evening additionally honored the NYPD, FDNY and Port Authority Police Department, along with organizations including the Tunnel to Towers Foundation and Tuesday’s Promise.
Against that backdrop, the sight of a spectator running across the field wearing a Palestinian flag created a jarring interruption to a night dedicated to honoring the dead and remembering American resilience.
Whatever motivation was behind the stunt had not been publicly established at the time of reporting.
But the reaction inside Yankee Stadium required little interpretation.
The boos came first.
Then, as security removed the field invader, thousands of baseball fans answered together:
“USA.”
