Rays sweep Yankees after replay overturns Volpe homer, Dodgers reach NLCS

The Big Picture

The Tampa Bay Rays and Los Angeles Dodgers moved on in the Major League Baseball postseason, though their division-series clinchers unfolded in sharply different ways.

Tampa Bay beat the New York Yankees 4-3 on Wednesday night to complete a 3-0 sweep in the American League Division Series. The decisive moment came in the sixth inning, when a replay review changed Anthony Volpe's apparent two-run, game-tying homer into an RBI double because of spectator interference.

In Atlanta, the Dodgers won the final two games of their best-of-five National League Division Series against the Braves, taking the series 3-1 and advancing to the National League Championship Series.

What Happened

With Tampa Bay leading 4-2 and George Lombard Jr. on base in the sixth, Volpe drove a Griffin Jax pitch toward deep left field. The play was initially ruled a two-run home run that would have tied the game.

After a lengthy review, MLB's Replay Center determined that a spectator had interfered with the ball over the field of play. MLB said the ball would not have left the playing field and would not have been caught. The ruling erased the home run, scored Lombard and placed Volpe at second base, leaving the Yankees behind 4-3.

Volpe's double became the final Yankees run. Spencer Jones struck out later in the inning, and Tampa Bay held on to end New York's season.

Victor Mesa Jr. supplied the key Rays blow with a tiebreaking two-run homer off Yankees starter Max Fried in the sixth. Ryan Vilade also homered for Tampa Bay.

The fan involved in the interference was escorted from Yankee Stadium by security and police, according to The Guardian. The game was briefly delayed after debris was thrown onto the field from the left-field stands.

What Each Side Is Saying

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he believed the replay officials reached the correct decision after seeing the replays. Volpe said afterward that the Yankees' loss, rather than the disputed play itself, was what the team had to confront.

Mesa said he believed the fan interference was correctly called and suggested he may have had a chance to reach the ball. Rays manager Kevin Cash said the replay ruling made sense, including the decision to award Lombard a run after he had passed second base when the fan touched the ball.

The reversal recalled a famous Yankee Stadium postseason moment from 1996, when fan Jeffrey Maier reached over the right-field wall on a ball hit by Derek Jeter. That play was ruled a home run before replay review existed. This time, replay worked against New York.

Why It Matters

The Rays reached the American League Championship Series for the first time since 2020. They will host either the Chicago White Sox or Cleveland Guardians in the opener of the next round.

For the Dodgers, the victory keeps alive a bid to become the first National League team to win three consecutive World Series titles. Manager Dave Roberts said extra rest would be important before the next series, particularly for players including Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman.

Dodgers Finish Off Braves

Los Angeles took control in the seventh inning of its clinching win over Atlanta. Andy Pages lined a bases-loaded single up the middle to score Teoscar Hernández and pinch-runner Tommy Edman, giving the Dodgers a 3-1 lead.

Max Muncy added a solo homer in the ninth inning, his 19th postseason home run with the Dodgers and an extension of his franchise record.

Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow, making his first start since Sept. 24, allowed one hit and walked five over four and two-thirds innings. The Braves drew 18 walks during the series but did not score a run from any of them.

What Happens Next

Tampa Bay will await the winner of the White Sox-Guardians series in the ALCS. The Dodgers will prepare for the NLCS after winning two straight elimination games in Atlanta.