Anthony Volpe homer downgraded to double on clear fan interference call at Yankee Stadium

Anthony Volpe had a game-tying home run — at least until the umpires looked at what happened at the left-field wall.

With the New York Yankees down 4-2 in the sixth inning of ALDS Game 3 and trying to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Tampa Bay Rays, shortstop Anthony Volpe clubbed a 357-foot fly ball that left fielder Victor Mesa Jr. couldn't grab. Mesa immediately signaled for the umpires to intervene after the play, while the fan who caught the ball euphorically celebrated a tie game with his peers.

Replay soon showed what happened. The Yankees fan had reached over the wall to catch the ball, which would have clearly stayed in the park without help. The umpires soon ruled fan interference on the play, downgrading the hit to a double.

The play still resulted in a run for the Yankees, but Volpe was sent back to second base and was later stranded on a Spencer Jones strikeout to end the inning, with the Rays still leading 4-3. The Rays hung on to win and advanced to the ALCS , in which they'll face the winner of the Cleveland Guardians-Chicago White Sox series in the other ALDS.

Here's MLB's official ex planation on the play in the Bronx:

"After viewing all relevant angles, the Replay Official definitively determined the spectator interfered with the ball over the field of play. The ball would not have left the playing field nor would it have been caught. The call is OVERTURNED, there was spectator interference and no home run. Additionally, the Replay Official scored one run and placed the batter-runner at second."

It was the correct call. It was the obvious call. It still wasn't popular with the Yankee Stadium fans, some of whom responded by throwing various items onto the field.

Mesa later had his fun with the jeering fans.

This is the second straight series in which a fan caught a ball they arguably shouldn't have, as the Boston Red Sox avoided a similar fate on a Willson Contreras long ball in the wild-card series .

And, of course, this play echoes the infamous Jeffrey Maier play in the 1996 ALCS, with the opposite outcome. In that case, the young Maier caught a fly ball from the Yankees shortstop, Derek Jeter, but the umpires declined to help the Baltimore Orioles.

Friday will mark the 30th anniversary of that play.