Nearly 30 years to the day after the New York Yankees benefitted from the most infamous case of fan interference, they suffered after an eager spectator reached over the outfield wall and ultimately doomed his own team to a postseason elimination in a 4-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays.
Down 4-2 in a critical Game 3 in the American League Division Series, the Yankees were in need of a spark with a runner on first.
Struggling second baseman Anthony Volpe took a 1-0 pitch and turned on it, sending it high and deep to left field at Yankee Stadium.
Rays left fielder Victor Mesa Jr tracked the ball as he ran back toward the wall – only for the ball to disappear before he could make a play on it.
Fans celebrated as the ball went over the fence as they briefly believed the game was tied at 4-4.
Instead, officials went to the replay cameras and found that a fan had reached over the wall and into the field of play to make contact with the ball before Mesa had a chance to grab it. After a lengthy review of the angles and the rules, officials overturned the home run due to fan interference.
Yankees second baseman Anthony Volpe had a critical home run taken off the board
Replay officials ruled that a fan reached into the field of play before Victor Mesa could catch it
Officials gave Volpe a double and an RBI to make the game 4-3 on his hit
However, they also ruled that due to the angle of the ball, Mesa wouldn’t have made a catch to get Volpe out. Therefore, they awarded Volpe an RBI double to score baserunner George Lombard Jr and make the game 4-3.
Boos rained down at Yankee Stadium as fans were irate that the call that evened the game was overturned. The fans that reached over the wall to try and catch the ball were later escorted out by team officials and the NYPD.
A statement from the MLB replay center (via the New York Post’s Joel Sherman) read: ‘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 second.’
Social media was in an uproar with laughter and criticism of the fans who took a run off the board for their team.
‘Dumbest f***ing fans in all of baseball. Year in and year out,’ one user said, posting an image of a fan interference incident from the 2024 World Series.
Another joked: ‘mfers so thirsty for a ball they cost the Yankees the game.’
‘Why in a playoff game in your home stadium would you even do this?’ one user wondered.
The Rays won Game 3 to sweep the Yankees and advance to the American League Championship Series to play either the Cleveland Guardians or Chicago White Sox
Sidelined Yankees captain Aaron Judge looks dejected as he watches from the dugout
The Rays celebrate after sealing their spot in the American League Championship Series
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After the Volpe incident in the sixth inning, the Yankees could not add another run to their total and lost 4-3 to be swept by the Rays and eliminated from the postseason.
Following the overturned homer, Rays pitchers Griffin Jax, Cam Booser Kevin Kelly and Bryan Baker struck out six Yankee batters to hold on to the one-run advantage.
Tampa’s runs were scored by Jonny DeLuca off an RBI single, Ryan Vilade off a solo shot and by Mesa – who socked a two-run homer.
As for the Yankees, this marks the 17th straight season that they will not win a World Series – the second-longest drought in franchise history.
Since 2009, the last time they won a title, the Yankees have won only seven non-Wild Card series and lost eleven non-Wild Cards under general manager Brian Cashman. It’s the eighth postseason series loss in nine seasons for manager Aaron Boone, who has now lost in the ALDS five times.
The interference comes just two days before the 30th anniversary of the ‘Jeffrey Maier incident’ from the 1996 ALDS between the Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles.
In Game 1 of that series, 12-year-old Jeffrey Maier reached over the wall to try and catch a ball hit by Derek Jeter. While Maier’s catch attempt prevented Baltimore outfielder Tony Tarasco from making a play on it, umpire Rich Garcia ruled it a home run anyway.
The Yankees went on to win the ALDS and the World Series – with Maier sitting behind the team’s dugout in the final series of the year.
