Rays sweep Yankees as replay overturns Volpe homer in 4-3 clincher

The Tampa Bay Rays eliminated the New York Yankees with a 4-3 victory on Wednesday, October 7, completing a three-game sweep of their American League Division Series. Victor Mesa Jr. supplied the decisive home run, while a replay ruling denied New York a potential tying shot in the same inning.

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According to the game report published by ESPN 630 DC, Junior Caminero singled with two outs in the sixth before Mesa hit a two-run homer off Max Fried. The drive broke a 2-2 tie and was Mesa's first postseason home run. Earlier, Jonathan Aranda had singled home a run and Ryan Vilade had homered for Tampa Bay.

The Yankees appeared to answer in the bottom of the sixth when Anthony Volpe drove a ball toward the left-field wall. Yahoo Sports reported that Mesa was unable to make the catch and immediately appealed for the umpires' attention. A spectator had reached over the wall, and the initial home-run decision was sent for review with New York trailing by two runs.

MLB's explanation, carried by Yahoo Sports, said the ball would neither have cleared the wall nor been caught without the interference. The review therefore left Volpe at second base with a run-scoring double instead of allowing the tying run. Spencer Jones then struck out, leaving Volpe stranded and Tampa Bay still ahead 4-3. The Yankees scored no further runs.

Tampa Bay used six pitchers to finish the game. ESPN 630 DC reported that starter Nick Martinez allowed two runs in three and two-thirds innings before Ian Seymour recorded four scoreless outs. Griffin Jax, Cam Booser and Kevin Kelly followed, with Bryan Baker striking out Trent Grisham to end the ninth and secure his third save of the series.

The result sends the Rays into the American League Championship Series against either Cleveland or the Chicago White Sox, as Yahoo Sports reported. For New York, the overturned call removed an apparent route back to parity in an elimination game; the remaining innings brought no recovery, and the series ended without a Yankees win.