The New York Yankees tried to keep their comeback hopes alive in the ALDS. Down 0-2 against the Tampa Bay Rays, the Bronx looked to make a comeback against the top-seeded team in the American League. However, their comeback attempt was spoiled by a rowdy fan who got in the way of the opposing team… literally.
Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe was up in the sixth inning with a runner on base and two outs. With New York down 4-2 at the time of writing, Volpe hit a fly ball to left field that was heading near the wall. A Rays player was attempting to make the catch for the final out… when a fan in the stands reached out and interfered with the ball. Umpires called fan interference, and Volpe was awarded a double and an RBI.
The MLB's review center released a statement explaining the decision to award the Yankees a double, per Jon Heyman.
“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.”
The Yankees were unable to complete the comeback, though. The one run that Volpe scored was all that New York was able to score from the sixth inning onwards. The Rays' relievers were able to finish the job and closed out the series, cleanly sweeping their division rivals.
With that, the Yankees' season is now over. New York finished the regular season with a 93-68 record, good for second in the AL East behind the Rays. They earned the top seed in the Wild Card round and knocked out the Boston Red Sox before facing Tampa Bay.