Anthony Volpe’s sixth-inning blast in Game 3 of the ALDS looked like the swing that would drag the Yankees all the way back into it. Instead, replay turned the moment into a ruling that left New York with a run-scoring double and a fresh round of frustration.
The ball came off Volpe against the Rays on Wednesday and appeared, at first glance, to be a game-tying two-run homer. But a fan reached over the left-field wall and touched it while Victor Mesa Jr. was underneath and trying to make a play. After review, the home run came off the board.
MLB’s Replay Center said in a statement: "After viewing all relevant angles, the Replay Official definitively determined the spectator interfered with the ball over the field of play," MLB's Replay Center said in a statement. "The ball would not have left the playing field nor would it have been caught.
The call is OVERTURNED, there was spectator interference and no home run. Additionally, the Replay Official scored one run and placed the batter-runner at second."
That left Volpe with an RBI double, and George Lombard Jr. was allowed to score from first because he was running on contact with two outs. The Yankees were pulled to within a run instead of leveling the game.
Rays manager Kevin Cash argued the play should have been ruled an out after the review, but the call stood as spectator interference. A side angle replay showed the ball would not have gone over the fence for a homer and would have stayed in play.
The ruling falls under MLB Rule 6.0.1(e), which says a spectator who reaches over, under or through a barrier and touches a ball in play has committed intentional interference, and the batter and runners are placed where the umpire believes they would have ended up without the interference.
Tampa Bay still holds a 2-0 lead in the ALDS, and the Rays are trying to finish the sweep in Game 3. The Yankees, meanwhile, are trying to force a Game 4 on Thursday.
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