Fan interference costs Yankees tying home run as Rays sweep ALDS with 4-3 win

Sixth-inning reversal at Yankee Stadium

The New York Yankees were eliminated from the postseason on Wednesday night following a 4-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium. In the top of the sixth inning, Victor Mesa Jr. broke a 2-2 tie by hitting a two-run home run off starting pitcher Max Fried to give Tampa Bay a 4-2 lead. The Yankees responded in the bottom of the frame when rookie George Lombard Jr. reached first base before Austin Wells made the second out of the inning. Anthony Volpe then hit a 96-mile-per-hour pitch from reliever Griffin Jax deep into left field, sending the ball roughly 109 meters toward the seats. Umpires on the field initially signaled a two-run home run that would have tied the score at 4-4. A video review conducted by the league replay center determined that a spectator reached over the railing into the field of play to catch the ball as Mesa attempted a leaping catch.

Volpe waited several minutes for the final ruling on the field before the decision was announced:

I just hoped it would be okay.

Replay ruling and manager reaction

Replay officials determined that Mesa would not have caught the ball even without the spectator interference, prompting the crew to rule spectator interference and award Volpe an RBI double. That ruling allowed Lombard to score from first base and cut Tampa Bay's lead to 4-3, but it nullified the tying run. Both teams accepted the decision after inspecting the replay angles. Yankees manager Aaron Boone agreed with the final determination:

I think they made the right decision. When Volpe hit the ball, looking towards the field, I immediately had some doubt. It seemed like there was something strange, even if I was not sure what. Then I saw the replay and, looking at how the action developed, I thought they did the right thing.

Injured Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge also watched the drive from the dugout and believed from the contact that it had enough carry to clear the wall:

He came very close to a big home run. As soon as I saw the ball leave the bat, I thought it had a great chance of getting out.

Stadium reaction and scoreless finish

Following the overturned home run, spectators in left field threw debris onto the field, causing a brief pause before play resumed. When the game restarted, Spencer Jones struck out against Jax to leave Volpe stranded at second base and end the sixth inning. Ballpark personnel and police quickly located the spectator who caught the ball and escorted him out of Yankee Stadium. Across the remaining three innings, Tampa Bay relievers kept New York scoreless to preserve their narrow edge. Nearly 49,000 spectators watched as neither offense managed to score during the seventh, eighth, or ninth innings.

Division series sweep and season end

The 4-3 victory sealed a 3-0 series sweep for the American League East champion Rays, advancing them to the American League Championship Series. Tampa Bay had already won the first two games of the best-of-five series before completing the sweep in New York. The loss ended the season for the 27-time champions, who entered the postseason via a wild-card round victory over the Boston Red Sox while playing without the injured Judge. New York has not won a World Series since 2009.