NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 07: Victor Mesa Jr. #25 of the Tampa Bay Rays is unable to make a catch as fans interfere on a ball hit by Anthony Volpe #11 of the New York Yankees during the sixth inning in game three of the American League Division Se
NEW YORK - Nearly 30 years after Jeffrey Maier changed a Yankees playoff game by reaching over an outfield wall, another fan at Yankee Stadium did it again.
This time, the Yankees did not get the benefit of the call.
Anthony Volpe’s apparent game-tying two-run home run against the Tampa Bay Rays was overturned on replay review Wednesday night after a fan reached over the left-field wall and caught the ball while Rays outfielder Victor Mesa Jr. tried to make a play.
Volpe was awarded an RBI double instead. The Yankees lost 4-3, ending their season in a three-game American League Division Series sweep.
What happened on the Volpe play
What we know:
With two outs in the sixth inning and George Lombard Jr. on first base, Volpe sent a deep fly ball toward the left-field seats.
Umpires initially called it a two-run home run, which would have tied the game. But after a crew-chief initiated review, Major League Baseball’s Replay Center ruled that the fan had reached into the field of play to touch the ball before it cleared the wall.
MLB determined the ball would not have left the field, but that Mesa would not have caught it either. Lombard was awarded home, and Volpe was placed on second base with an RBI double.
The fan was escorted out of Yankee Stadium.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 07: Spencer Jones #78 of the New York Yankees is unable to catch a solo home run hit by Ryan Vilade #26 of the Tampa Bay Rays during the fourth inning in game three of the American League Division Series at Yankee Stadium
Is it Jeffrey Maier 2.0?
In one sense, yes.
Both moments came at Yankee Stadium in the postseason, involved a Yankees player’s apparent game-tying home run against an American League East opponent and featured a fan reaching over the wall near an outfielder trying to make a play.
The major difference is the outcome.
In Game 1 of the 1996 American League Championship Series, 12-year-old Yankees fan Jeffrey Maier reached over the right-field wall and deflected a Derek Jeter fly ball before Orioles outfielder Tony Tarasco could make a catch. The ball was ruled a home run, tying the game.
There was no replay review in 1996. MLB has since said the play probably should have been called fan interference.
The Yankees won that game, the ALCS and the World Series. On Wednesday, replay allowed officials to reverse the initial call, taking the tying home run away from the Yankees.
UNITED STATES - OCTOBER 10: Jeffrey Maier deflects homerun ball which allows the New York Yankees to tie game 4-4 against the Baltimore Orioles. The Yankees would eventually defeat the Orioles, 5-4. (Photo by Linda Cataffo/NY Daily News Archive via
What players and managers said
What they're saying:
Yankees manager Aaron Boone agreed with the ruling after seeing the replay.
"I thought they did a good job with it," Boone said. "I thought they got it right."
Mesa said he believed he might have been able to get his glove on the ball, though MLB’s replay ruling found he would not have made the catch.
Rays manager Kevin Cash also said the review got the play right, while noting the ruling on where to place the runners was ultimately a judgment call.
What is fan interference in baseball?
The backstory:
MLB’s spectator-interference rule applies when a fan reaches onto the field of play or otherwise hinders a player’s attempt to make a play on a live ball.
The ball is immediately dead, and umpires decide where to place runners based on what they believe would have happened without the interference.
If a fan clearly prevents a fielder from catching a fly ball, the batter can be ruled out. That did not happen on Volpe’s drive because replay officials determined Mesa would not have caught it.
Can fans catch foul balls?
The other side:
Yes, fans can catch foul balls or home run balls that enter the seating area.
The problem begins when a spectator reaches over a wall or railing into the field of play, touches a live ball before it reaches the stands or interferes with a fielder.
In short: Catch the ball if it comes to your seat. Do not reach into the field to get it.
Many argue this should be common knowledge by now.
The Source: This article was written using information from ESPN, Major League Baseball and MLB’s spectator-interference rule.