Anthony Volpe thought he had delivered the kind of swing that can flip a postseason game.
Instead, the Yankees’ sixth-inning rally in Game 3 of the American League Division Series came undone on a fan interference call, and Tampa Bay walked away with a 4-3 lead still intact before the Rays finished off a three-game sweep Wednesday night.
Volpe’s drive was initially ruled a tying two-run home run, a moment that briefly looked like the kind of vindication a much-maligned homegrown player could use after a season that at one point sent him to Triple A. But the replay showed a fan reaching over the left-field wall and interfering with Victor Mesa Jr.’s chance to make a play. According to the review, the ball would not have cleared the wall if the fan had stayed back.
After the overturn, Volpe was sent back to second base. The run by George Lombard Jr., who had reached on a walk, still counted, trimming the Rays’ advantage to 4-3. Rays manager Kevin Cash appeared to argue against that ruling, but the call stood.
MLB’s interference rule says the ball is dead in cases of spectator interference, with runners placed where the umpire believes they would have ended up without the interference. If a spectator clearly keeps a fielder from making a catch by reaching onto the field of play, the batter is out. But if contact happens without reaching onto the field, no interference is called, even if the fielder might have made the play otherwise.
MLB later explained the decision in a statement to the Tampa Bay Times: “After viewing all relevant angles, the Replay Official definitively determined the spectator interfered with the ball over the field of play. 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 2B.”
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