NEW YORK – Anthony Volpe tied Game 3 of the ALDS in the sixth inning, or so he and the Yankees thought. Volpe’s game-tying two-run home run against the Rays on Wednesday (TB 4, NY 3) was overturned on replay and ruled fan interference. A fan clearly reached over the left field wall and got his hands on the ball. Victor Mesa Jr. was underneath and trying to make a play.
“When he hit it, in my eyes, I was a little worried right away because it felt like something. I wasn’t sure,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said after the game. “And then seeing the replay and seeing it play out, I thought they did the right thing. I thought they did it right.”
The call was overturned and Volpe got a run-scoring double. Rays manager Kevin Cash argued that the game should have been called, but to no avail. Here is the piece:
“I felt like New York was right from my perspective,” Cash said after the game. “I didn’t go back and look at it. The only thing I saw was what it said on the scoreboard. I didn’t think the ball was going to come out and then New York put the runners where they were. I don’t know if he would have caught it or not, the guy would have scored or not.”
A side angle replay showed clear evidence that the ball would not have cleared the fence for a home run, but rather remained in play. MLB Rule 6.0.1(e) covers spectator interference. Here is the rule, emphasis mine:
There is a difference between a ball that has been thrown or hit into the stands, touching a spectator and thus being out of play even if it bounces onto the field, and a spectator entering the field or reaching over, under or through a barrier and touching a ball in play or otherwise touching or interfering with a player. In the latter case, this is clearly intentional and must be treated as intentional interference as in rule 6.01(d). The batter and runners shall be placed where, in the judgment of the umpire, they would have been if the interference had not occurred..
In the replay center’s judgment, Mesa would not have caught the ball and Volpe would have reached second base, so that’s where he was placed. George Lombard Jr., the runner on first base, was allowed to score because he was running through contact with two outs. In the end, a tying two-run homer was turned into a double that brought New York within one.
“After observing all relevant angles, the replay official made a definitive determination that the spectator interfered with the ball on the field of play,” MLB’s replay center said in a statement. “The ball would not have left the field of play and would not have been caught. The call is VOID, there was spectator interference and no home run. Additionally, the replay official scored a run and placed the batter-runner at second.”
This canceled run would prove costly as the Rays held a 4-3 lead to win Game 3 and the ALDS, eliminating the Yankees from the playoffs.
Gn sports
