Rays beat Yankees for ALDS sweep behind Mesa homer, fan interference call
The Tampa Bay Rays completed a three-game sweep of the New York Yankees in the ALDS following a decisive home run and a controversial fan interference call. The Rays will now advance to the American League Championship Series.
Why it matters
The game highlights the increasing role of video technology and automated ball-strike systems in professional sports officiating.
NEW YORK (AP) — Victor Mesa Jr. hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer off Max Fried in the sixth inning, and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the New York Yankees 4-3 on Wednesday night with the help of a fan interference call for a three-game sweep of their AL Division Series. Ryan Vilade also homered for the Rays, who reached the American League Championship Series for the first time since 2020 and host the Chicago White Sox or Cleveland Guardians in the opener on Monday. After Mesa’s homer gave the Rays a 4-2 lead, Anthony Volpe appeared to hit a two-run shot against Griffin Jax with two outs in the bottom half as a fan reached over the left-field wall and caught the ball over the glove of a leaping Mesa.
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