A fan was ejected from Yankee Stadium by the league for interfering with a pitch during the New York Yankees’ season-ending loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday, October 7.
In the sixth inning, Yankees’ Anthony Volpe hit a fly ball deep to left field that was about to clear the fence, giving the Rays a 4-2 lead. The ball didn’t clear the fence on its own – a fan in the front row reached up and pulled the ball into the stands.
Volpe thought he had hit a two-run home run when he cleared the bases. But after the umpires reviewed the play, Volpe was sent back to second base and hit a double, and George Lombard Jr. scored a run.
MLB said in a statement that after reviewing “all relevant angles,” it “conclusively determined that spectators interfered with the ball on the field of play.”
“The ball did not leave the field of play and was not caught. The call was overturned, there was spectator interference, and there was no home run,” the league said in a statement. “In addition, the replay official scored one run, placing the batter on second.”
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Rays left fielder Victor Meza Jr. insists he was disturbed from the moment Volpe stepped off the bases.
“On that play, I felt like the ball was being carried more than it should have been,” Mesa told TBS. “In my mind, I felt like I could catch the ball, or at least touch my glove. But that’s what it is.”
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Video subsequently circulated on social media showed the fan, wearing a Yankees trench coat, being escorted out of Yankee Stadium by security after the interference ruling.
The Rays didn’t allow another run in the sixth inning. With the win, they swept the best-of-five series 3-0.
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