Buster Olney Oct 7, 2026, 10:50 PM ET
New York -- Fan interference was called in the sixth inning of Wednesday night's American League Division Series Game 3 at Yankee Stadium, altering a would-be tying two-run homer by second baseman Anthony Volpe into a run-scoring double. With George Lombard Jr. at first base, Volpe lifted a long fly ball to left, and Rays left fielder Victor Mesa Jr. drifted backward to the fence. Replay showed a fan in a navy blue Yankees jacket reached beyond the fence for the ball, with the ball ricocheting off the fan's hands into the stands. Crew chief Dan Bellino informed fans that interference was called, greeted with boos, before noting that Victor Mesa would not have made the catch and the replay center determined Lombard would have scored, with Volpe getting credit for a double.
Rather than a tie score, the Rays still held a 4-3 lead, which is how the game ended, as Tampa Bay swept the best-of-five series to move into the AL Championship Series. MLB issued a statement: "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 was overturned, there was spectator interference and no home run. Additionally, the Replay Official scored one run and placed the batter-runner at 2B." The fan was escorted out of Yankee Stadium by security and police.
Players and managers on both sides mostly agreed that the right decision was made. Aaron Boone said, "I thought they got it right." Kevin Cash added, "Our replay official Nick (Rogers) said the runner had passed second base at the point where the ball hit the fan's wrist or hand, and makes sense why they awarded him home." Aaron Judge noted, "He almost had a big home run." Max Fried said, "You go from a tie game to down one."
Source: ESPN MLB · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing