NEW YORK (AP) — Anthony Volpe was denied a tying home run for the New York Yankees in Game 3 of their AL Division Series against the Tampa Bay Rays when umpires ruled a fan interfered with his drive to deep left field Wednesday night.
The play was initially called a two-run homer that would have tied the score at 4 with two outs in the sixth inning. But a lengthy video review by Major League Baseball determined a fan reached over the wall to catch the ball as Rays left fielder Victor Mesa Jr. tried in vain for a leaping grab.
Spectator interference became the ruling, and Volpe was awarded an RBI double that scored George Lombard Jr. from first base, trimming Tampa Bay's lead to 4-3 at Yankee Stadium.
There was another slight delay after some fans in left threw debris onto the field, and Spencer Jones then struck out against Griffin Jax to end the inning.
“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,” MLB said in a statement from the Replay Center.
Mesa hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer off Max Fried in the top of the sixth to put Tampa Bay ahead.
The AL East champion Rays came in leading the best-of-five series 2-0.
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