Yankees swept by Rays after fan interference drama while Dodgers reach NLCS

Victor Mesa Jr hit a tiebreaking two-run homer off Max Fried in the sixth inning, and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the New York Yankees 4-3 on Wednesday night with the help of a fan interference call to complete a three-game sweep of their American League Division Series.

Ryan Vilade also homered for the Rays, who reached the American League Championship Series for the first time since 2020 and will host either the Chicago White Sox or Cleveland Guardians in Monday’s opener.

After Mesa’s homer gave the Rays a 4-2 lead, Anthony Volpe appeared to hit a two-run shot against Griffin Jax with two outs in the bottom half of the inning as a fan reached over the left-field wall and caught the ball above the glove of a leaping Mesa.

A video review determined the ball would not have cleared the wall and would not have been caught by Mesa. Volpe was awarded an RBI double and George Lombard Jr was allowed to score from first. Jax recovered to strike out Spencer Jones.

Baseball’s use of video technology was key to the inning.

Lombard reached on a one-out walk when a 3-1 pitch called a strike by home plate umpire Dan Bellino was ruled inside on an automated ball-strike (ABS) challenge. Austin Wells then walked on a full-count changeup, but an ABS challenge by Rays catcher Liam Hicks determined the pitch had caught the inside corner for a strikeout, bringing up Volpe.

It was quite a change from 1996, when umpires had no such technology to assist them and Derek Jeter’s home run for the Yankees helped turn around the ALCS opener despite Jeffrey Maier reaching over the right-field wall where Baltimore’s Tony Tarasco was positioned to catch the ball. MLB began using video review for home run calls in 2008 and allowed challenges to ball-strike decisions starting this year.

Ian Seymour pitched one and a third scoreless innings, Kevin Kelly struck out pinch-hitter Giancarlo Stanton to strand a runner in the eighth and Bryan Baker pitched the ninth for his third save of the series.

Seeking their first World Series title, Tampa Bay celebrated on the field of the big-spending Yankees for the second time in two weeks after clinching the AL East on 22 September. New York opened the season with MLB’s third-highest payroll at $303m, while the Rays ranked 26th at $91m.

Swept in a best-of-five postseason series for the first time since the 1980 ALCS against Kansas City, the Yankees ended their 17th consecutive season without a World Series title. That equaled their longest championship drought since winning their first title in 1923, matching the gap between their triumphs in 1978 and 1996.

Yankees captain Aaron Judge missed the postseason after straining a calf on 16 September. The three-time AL MVP played just seven games after 31 May because of a fractured rib and the leg injury, an absence the team could not overcome.

After sweeping Boston in the Wild Card Series, New York never led against the Rays and have not advanced past a higher-seeded team in the postseason since 2020.

Jonathan Aranda put the Rays ahead with an RBI single in the third, and Ben Rice tied the score against Nick Martinez with a single in the bottom half, his eighth RBI of the postseason.

Vilade, a 27-year-old enjoying extensive major league playing time this year with his sixth organization, hit an opposite-field, 340ft drive into the short porch in right field in the fourth. The ball, just beyond the glove of a leaping Jones, would not have cleared the fence at any other major league ballpark.

Volpe, starting at second base in place of Jazz Chisholm Jr, hit a 96.6mph line drive off Martinez’s back with two outs in the fourth for an infield single, prompting Seymour to enter in relief. Jones’ opposite-field double landed beyond Mesa, driving in Volpe.

Junior Caminero singled in the sixth before Mesa sent a sweeper deep into the right-field seats to chase Fried.

LA Dodgers 4-1 Atlanta Braves

Andy Pages drove in two runs with a bases-loaded single in the seventh inning to give Los Angeles the lead as the Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 4-1 on Wednesday night to clinch their National League Division Series.

The Dodgers won back-to-back games in Atlanta to take the best-of-five series 3-1 and advance to the National League Championship Series as they seek to become the first NL team to win three consecutive World Series titles.

Pages lined a 3-2 pitch from Robert Suárez up the middle to drive in Teoscar Hernández, who had singled off starter Tyler Mahle, and pinch-runner Tommy Edman for a 3-1 lead. Didier Fuentes had walked pinch-hitter Josue De Paula and Kyle Tucker to load the bases, with Edman running for De Paula.

Max Muncy’s solo homer off Raisel Iglesias in the ninth padded the lead and gave the slugger 19 postseason home runs with the Dodgers, extending his franchise record.

Dodgers right-hander Tyler Glasnow, making his first start since 24 September, allowed just one hit but walked five batters in four and two-thirds innings. After he issued two walks in the fifth, left-hander Alex Vesia ended the inning by inducing a groundout to second base from Matt Olson.

The missed opportunity left the Braves with 18 walks in the series, none of which resulted in a run.

Glasnow and four relievers combined to allow just three hits. Tanner Scott pitched a perfect eighth before Edwin Díaz retired the side in order in the ninth for the save.

Mahle, a native of Newport Beach, California, who grew up a Dodgers fan, allowed two runs, one earned, in six and a third innings.

Michael Harris II singled on Glasnow’s first pitch before stealing second and eventually scoring from third on a wild pitch that bounced off catcher Will Smith’s chest protector.

The Dodgers pulled level in the second with the help of two Atlanta errors. Shohei Ohtani walked, stole second and advanced to third on catcher Sean Murphy’s errant throw into center field. Muncy’s pop fly into shallow left field was dropped by shortstop Mauricio Dubón for another error, allowing Ohtani to score.

Hernández crashed into the wall while attempting to catch Ozzie Albies’ leadoff double off Vesia in the sixth. Hernández pointed to his head and neck while speaking with an athletic trainer but remained in the game.

Edgardo Henríquez stranded Albies at second. Henríquez allowed one hit in one and two-thirds scoreless innings to earn the win.

Cleveland Guardians 9-3 Chicago White Sox

It was a pretty typical game for José Ramírez, and that was a big deal for the Cleveland Guardians.

Ramírez broke out of his batting slump on Wednesday, helping Cleveland avoid a sweep in their American League Division Series against the Chicago White Sox. The seven-time All-Star had two hits, drove in two runs and scored twice during the Guardians’ 9-3 victory in Game 3.

“Josy, that’s why he’s one of the best players in the league,” Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said. “He can hurt you with the bat, the legs and the glove. He showed all that today.”

The 34-year-old Ramírez also made a diving stop at third base on Miguel Vargas’ bases-loaded smash in the sixth inning, preserving Cleveland’s 5-3 lead.

“After that play, it was, OK, this is our game to win, and that’s what we were able to do,” Ramírez said through a translator.

Ramírez was sidelined for five weeks after breaking a bone in his left hand on a swing against Detroit on 13 June. The switch-hitter underwent surgery before returning on 22 July against Minnesota.

But he hit just .229 with two home runs and 20 RBIs in 53 games after the operation. He then went 0 for 6 with two walks in the first two games of the ALDS against the White Sox.

With the Guardians facing elimination, Ramírez delivered – just as he had so many times before.

“It feels special,” Ramírez said. “You know the type of season I had, but it’s important for us to win any game going forward because for us it’s do or die. So it feels really good. ... But for us, it’s the same mindset going forward.”

The first sign Ramírez was headed for a big night came in the first inning, when he hit a 107.9mph line drive that was caught by a diving Randal Grichuk in left field.

“We always know he’s one swing away,” Vogt said. “When he hit that first ball in the first inning ... great play by Grichuk. You knew he was here.”

Ramírez walked and scored on Jo Adell’s three-run triple in the third, helping Cleveland take a 4-1 lead.

Playing in his 48th postseason game – all with Cleveland – Ramírez manufactured an insurance run for the Guardians in the fifth. He doubled, stole third and scored on Chase DeLauter’s grounder to second, beating Kyle Teel’s tag with a headfirst slide.

Ramírez’s savvy baserunning gave the Guardians a 5-2 lead.

“When he got that stolen base at third, that kind of made it a José Ramírez game,” Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan said.

Ramírez popped up leading off the seventh, but he helped Cleveland put the game away with a two-run triple with two outs in the eighth. Ramírez clapped his hands in excitement and threw an uppercut with his right arm as he stood on third after the crucial hit.

“Great game by Ramírez,” White Sox manager Will Venable said. “Obviously, we know how special a player he is.”