NEW YORK, NY. (THECOUNT) — An unidentified New York Yankees fan was given a police escort from Yankee Stadium Wednesday night after reaching over the left-field wall and interfering with a potential game-tying home run by Anthony Volpe during the Yankees’ 4-3 American League Division Series loss to the Tampa Bay Rays and left fielder Victor Mesa Jr..
With the Yankees trailing 4-2 in the sixth inning of Game 3 and facing postseason elimination, Volpe hit a deep fly ball toward left field with George Lombard Jr. on first base. Mesa Jr. leaped near the wall as the ball approached, but a spectator reached over the wall and made contact with the ball.
Advertisement
Umpires initially ruled the play a two-run home run, which would have tied the game. The call was reviewed by Major League Baseball after the Rays protested the play.
THE BRONX THOUGHT VOLPE WAS A HERO….BUT IS THIS FAN INTERFERENCE!?!? https://t.co/4xJORKrjBF
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) October 8, 2026
Following the review, MLB determined the spectator had interfered with the ball while it was over the field of play. Officials also determined the ball would not have cleared the wall and would not have been caught by Mesa Jr. without the interference.
The home run was overturned and Volpe was awarded an RBI double, with Lombard scoring from first base. The ruling cut Tampa Bay’s lead to 4-3, but the Yankees were unable to score again.
As the ruling was announced, frustrated fans turned their anger toward the spectator. Video showed the fan being surrounded and escorted through the stadium by NYPD officers and Yankee Stadium security as debris was thrown onto the field.
Video shows the fan being escorted out of Yankee Stadium by police and security after he was ejected following the controversial play.
Yankees fan escorted out after interfering with Anthony Volpe’s game-tying HR turned RBI double. https://t.co/P38XeZZQiZ
— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) October 8, 2026
The controversial play became one of the defining moments of the Yankees’ season-ending defeat. New York was swept by Tampa Bay in the best-of-five ALDS, ending the Yankees’ postseason run.
Volpe finished the game 2-for-4, while the Yankees managed only five runs across the three-game series. Tampa Bay advanced to the American League Championship Series with its third straight victory over New York.
Yankee Stadium is located in the Bronx, New York City, across the Harlem River from Manhattan and near the Grand Concourse neighborhood.
View Yankee Stadium on Google Maps
DEVELOPING::