Was it a catch? Maybe. Did the Red Sox blow an opportunity? Definitely.

It was the shadow image of Tom Brady all over again. Was he walking into the stadium or walking out? Or maybe that image of the dress back in 2015, that had half the population saying it was blue and black, and the other half claiming it was white and gold.

Did Ceddanne Rafaela actually catch that ball in the fifth inning Sunday?

This is all we know for sure: The umpires said he did not, with Edwin Moscoso's ruling that Rafaela trapped Jazz Chisholm Jr.'s fly ball being confirmed by the MLB replay booth down the road. What would have likely been a play that kept the game scoreless for at least another half inning ended up helping launch a five-run frame for the Yankees, who would ultimately go on to claim a 16-1 rout of the Red Sox.

After that, there was a lot of room for intrepetation, with even the waves of social media videos not allowing for a definitive conclusion.

By the letter of the law ... It was probably a catch.

Rule 5.09(a)(1) in the Major League Baseball rulebook, defining what is a catch, reads: "A catch is the act of a fielder in getting secure possession in his hand or glove of a ball in flight and firmly holding it; providing he does not use his cap, protector, pocket or any other part of his uniform in getting possession. It is not a catch, however, if simultaneously or immediately following his contact with the ball, he collides with a player, or with a wall, or if he falls down, and as a result of such collision or falling, drops the ball. It is not a catch if a fielder touches a fly ball which then hits a member of the offensive team or an umpire and then is caught by another defensive player. In establishing the validity of the catch, the fielder shall hold the ball long enough to prove that he has complete control of the ball and that his release of the ball is voluntary and intentional. If the fielder has made the catch and drops the ball while in the act of making a throw following the catch, the ball shall be adjudged to have been caught."

The biggest question is whether or not Rafaela's glove was in complete contact with the ball after initially securing it, not releasing to the point where the ground took over the fate of the play. It would appear as though the leather dictated the outcome throughout the action, also some would suggest there was enough separation that the grass took over.

Rafaela was one who had no doubt regarding what had transpired.

"I didn’t even have to watch it,” Rafaela told reporters. "I know I made the catch. I know when a ball drops and a ball doesn’t drop. And I know I made the catch. [The replay review], it’s out of our control. But I was really mad in the moment. I really wanted to help my pitcher there and I feel that changed the whole game right there."

It probably did change the game, and it might ultimately change the Red Sox season. But what is done is done. It wasn't ruled a catch. The Yankees took advantage with a week's worth of runs. And now the Sox are left without the tiebreaker against New York, who owns a four-game cushion over Chad Tracy's team in the wild card standings.

Was this game the be-all, end-all? No. Since the three-game wild card series was instituted in 2022, the road team has won nine of 16 times. And in the 10 occasions the road club wins that first best-of-three set, it has gone on to advance nine times (with last year's loss by the Red Sox in New York being the one exception).

But the defeat shouldn't be dismissed.

Because of the standings, how many games are left, and the tiebreaker dynamic, this was about as important an August game as you are going to find. It was a test the Red Sox flat-out failed, catch or no catch.

Even with Roman Anthony and Trevor Story immediately making their presences felt with two hits apiece, the offense continued its punchless presence at the place it will likely be playing in the postseason, Yankee Stadium. The Sox have totaled just two home runs over their last seven losses in the Bronx, having now come up empty in three of the four defeats in New York this season.

Then there is the bet the Red Sox placed on Ranger Suarez, whose selling point when securing a five-year, $130 million contract was the ability to come through in the biggest games. He is now 0-1 in such scenarios. The pitcher who has a 1.48 ERA in 11 postseason appearances allowed six runs in 5 1/3 innings and now has a 5.01 ERA in his seven starts since the All-Star break.

Perhaps none of this will matter a month from now, with the Red Sox still having 25 regular season games to play. They have built in some benefit of the doubt thanks to the past two-plus months, while owning a schedule that has them spending the next four series playing teams currently out of the playoff picture.

What's done is done. Now we will find out if any of it truly matteres.

“I think the team is where we really want it right now,” Rafaela explained to reporters “We have two of our best players back. Roman, today, came in ready. Story came in ready. And I think we’re happy that they are here, and we’re ready to go and finish the year strong.”