A Yankees fan became the biggest storyline of the night in Game 3 of the ALDS, and not for anything the home crowd wanted to remember.
With New York facing elimination on Wednesday night and already down 2-0 in the series, Anthony Volpe sent a deep fly ball toward left field in the sixth inning with a runner on first. As Rays outfielder Victor Mesa Jr. went up at the wall, a fan in a navy blue Yankees jacket reached over the left-field fence and got his hands on the ball before it could clear. The crowd initially thought it had just seen a game-tying, two-run home run.
Mesa immediately argued the play and asked for a review. After the replay check, Major League Baseball overturned the home run call and ruled spectator interference, determining the ball would not have left the field or been caught without the fan’s involvement.
The moment sent Yankee Stadium into chaos. Once security identified the fan responsible for the interference in left field, the reaction from the stands turned ugly fast. Angry fans shouted at him and threw debris onto the field as the decision sank in.
NYPD officers eventually stepped in and surrounded the spectator, escorting him through the concourse and out of the stadium for his own safety. The fan’s night ended with a police escort, and the online reaction was so harsh that some joked he might need witness protection to stay in New York.
It was a brutal finish to a brutal night for the Yankees, who fell 4-3 to the Tampa Bay Rays and saw their season come to an end.
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