Would Anthony Volpe's fan-interfered fly ball have been a home run? Here's what MLB and Statcast have to say
Yankees’ ALDS Exit Mired in Fan‑Interference Debate
The New York Yankees’ 2024 postseason run came to an abrupt end when they were swept by the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Division Series. In a 4‑3 loss at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night, a single controversial play involving a fan’s interference could have altered the outcome of the game.
During the sixth inning, the Yankees were down to two outs with George Lombard on first base. Anthony Volpe stepped to the plate and lofted a fly ball toward left‑field that kept rolling toward the outfield wall. The ball passed into the seating area, and the umpires initially ruled it a game‑tying home run, giving the Yankees a 3‑3 tie.
The league’s replay officials reviewed the play. Using video angles that revealed a spectator reaching over the wall to catch the ball, the replay official determined that the fan had interfered. The ball was therefore reclassified as an RBI double, and the Yankees were awarded two runs, keeping the score 4‑3 in favor of the Rays. The ball’s trajectory, as later confirmed by the Replay Center, would not have left the playing field if not for the interference.
“After viewing all relevant angles, the Replay Official definitively determined the spectator interfered with the ball over the field of play,” the MLB Replay Center said in a statement. “The ball would not have left the playing field nor would it have been caught.” A fan who had reached the ball was later removed from the stadium.
The call drew a mix of reactions. Yankees manager Aaron Boone acknowledged the umpires’ decision, saying, “When he hit it, to my eye looking out there, I was a little concerned right away because it felt like something, I wasn’t sure. And then seeing the replay and seeing it unfold, I thought they did the right thing. I thought they got it right.” Volpe, meanwhile, expressed his frustration: “Just seeing it through the replay and hoping for the best… crazy.”
The play also highlighted a recent discrepancy between MLB’s statistical systems. Statcast had originally reported that the ball’s exit velocity (97.9 mph) and launch angle (42 degrees) would have allowed it to clear the wall in 13 ballparks, including Yankee Stadium. However, by Thursday morning, Yankee Stadium was removed from that list. Sportsball, a data‑analytics outfit, released a brief video on X explaining how Statcast uses 12 Hawkeye cameras to calculate home‑run distances “within about a foot.”
While the official ruling remains that the ball was a double, many observers note that the uncertainty surrounding the flight path means the true outcome may never be fully known. Regardless, the Yankees’ season ended on a disappointing note, and the Rays advanced to the next round of the playoffs.
