Rays Sweep Yankees in ALDS Behind Mesa Homer, Fan Interference Call

The Tampa Bay Rays completed a three-game sweep of the New York Yankees on Wednesday night, winning 4-3 at Yankee Stadium to reach the American League Championship Series for the first time since 2020. Victor Mesa Jr. hit a tiebreaking two-run homer off Max Fried in the sixth inning, and a pivotal fan interference call on Anthony Volpe's potential two-run shot preserved the lead.

With the Rays leading 4-2 in the bottom of the sixth, Volpe drove a ball to left field that a fan caught over the wall. Video review ruled the ball would not have cleared the fence and Mesa would not have caught it, awarding Volpe an RBI double instead of a home run. George Lombard Jr. scored from first, but Griffin Jax struck out Spencer Jones to end the threat.

“I was just hating every single moment of it. Thinking about the whole year. Thinking about missed opportunities in the season, in that series.”

The Yankees' offense remained dormant for much of the series. New York scored just six runs across three games while playing without Aaron Judge, who missed the postseason with a strained calf. Ben Rice provided the only power in Game 2 with two solo homers, but the lineup managed only three hits in the finale.

New York's defense was a critical liability in Game 2 at Tropicana Field, where the Yankees committed four errors, three in the first inning alone. Ryan McMahon, Jazz Chisholm Jr., George Lombard Jr., and Austin Wells all made costly misplays that allowed Tampa Bay to build early leads.

Tampa Bay's pitching staff stifled the Yankees throughout the series. Drew Rasmussen threw a one-hit shutout in Game 1, Freddy Peralta allowed one run over 4 2/3 innings in Game 2, and the bullpen closed out Game 3 behind Ian Seymour, Kevin Kelly, and Bryan Baker, who earned his third save of the series.

The sweep extends the Yankees' World Series drought to 17 seasons. New York has failed to advance past the ALDS in five of the last six postseasons since Judge's 2016 debut. Judge urged the front office to "go all-in" this offseason to address roster holes and end the championship wait.