Victor Mesa Jr., Rays hang on in Game 3 to complete sweep over Yankees, reach ALCS

Victor Mesa Jr. knew immediately on Wednesday. He didn't even watch the ball go out of Yankee Stadium. Instead, he turned to get the celebration started with his dugout. And it was well deserved.Mesa and the Tampa Bay Rays held on late, even after a clear fan interference call, to beat the New York Yankees 4-3 on Wednesday in ALDS Game 3. That gave them a series sweep and sent them to the American League Championship Series for the first time since their World Series run in 2020.THE RAYS ARE ALCS-BOUND FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2020 🔥 pic.twitter.com/m7SUTWCMdT— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) October 8, 2026 While the game was tight early — the Yankees kept pace with the Rays after an RBI single from Jonathan Aranda in the third and a solo homer from Ryan Vilade in the fourth — it was Mesa who blew the game open. After Junior Caminero reached base in the sixth on a single to center, Mesa destroyed a 77-mph slider from Max Fried. And instead of watching his shot, or even starting to run a little bit, he just turned toward the dugout. Victor Mesa Jr. took a moment after his home run 🥶 pic.twitter.com/Hmy7DNUBeW— MLB (@MLB) October 8, 2026 The ball went more than 400 feet and had no issue clearing the wall for his first career postseason home run. That put the Rays up 4-2.It looked like the Yankees tied the game in the bottom of the inning when Anthony Volpe appeared to hit a two-run shot of his own. But that was downgraded to a double after clear fan interference at the left-field wall. Volpe's ball clearly would've stayed in the park without help.After replay review, the Yankees pull within a run on Anthony Volpe's RBI double! pic.twitter.com/6Fua0LNVBQ— MLB (@MLB) October 8, 2026 Officials gave the Yankees one run, ruling that Mesa would not have caught the ball even if it had stayed in the park, which kept the Rays ahead 4-3. Mesa got into it with Yankees fans after the play. Some Yankees fans threw trash down onto the field after the replay, which delayed the game momentarily.Victor Mesa Jr. going at it with Yankees fans in left field after the big call in the 7th inning 😅 pic.twitter.com/OwtivL3SoU— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) October 8, 2026 That took all of the air out of the New York crowd. The Yankees couldn't get anything going in the next two frames while the Rays held their lead, and then Bryan Baker came in to wrap things up on the mound for Tampa Bay in the ninth. Volpe struck out swinging to open the inning, and the Rays nearly ended the series on a double play off a Jazz Chisholm grounder. Baker ultimately struck out Trent Grisham to secure the victory.The Rays will head to the ALCS for the third time in franchise history. The past two times, they reached the World Series. They'll await the winner of the ALDS between the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Guardians. The Guardians won 9-3 in their Game 3 matchup earlier Wednesday to force a Game 4. The Yankees, meanwhile, will head to the offseason having fallen in the ALDS for a second straight year. They didn't lead for a single moment in this series. And now their hopes of a second World Series trip in the past three years are over.