Tampa Bay Finishes Off New York
The Tampa Bay Rays are moving on to the American League Championship Series after completing a three-game sweep of the New York Yankees with a 4-3 victory Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium.
Tampa Bay entered the series with a chance to make a statement against one of baseball’s biggest franchises, and the Rays did exactly that. After winning the first two games, Tampa Bay came into Game 3 needing one more victory to eliminate the Yankees.
The Rays got the job done behind another strong pitching performance and timely hitting. Victor Mesa Jr. delivered the biggest swing of the night, hitting a two-run home run in the sixth inning to break a 2-2 tie.
Mesa Comes Through
Mesa’s home run gave Tampa Bay a 4-2 advantage and provided the Rays with the cushion they needed late in the game.
Ryan Vilade also homered earlier in the contest, while Jonathan Aranda drove in Tampa Bay’s first run with a single.
The Yankees continued to fight back. New York cut the deficit to one run in the sixth inning, but the Rays’ pitching staff managed to prevent the Yankees from completing the comeback.
Bryan Baker closed out the game in the ninth inning, striking out Trent Grisham to officially end New York’s season.
Controversial Moment in the Sixth
The biggest moment of the game came when Anthony Volpe appeared to hit a game-tying home run in the sixth inning.
The ball was interfered with by a fan reaching over the wall. After a replay review, the umpires determined that the fan had interfered with the play, changing the home run into an RBI double.
The decision meant the Yankees scored only one run on the play instead of two. New York could not bring another runner home, and that one-run difference ultimately became the deciding factor.
Rays Move On
The sweep sends Tampa Bay to the ALCS for the third time in franchise history. The Rays will face either the Chicago White Sox or Cleveland Guardians in the next round.
For the Yankees, the loss ends their season and extends their championship drought to 17 years. New York struggled throughout the series, scoring only five runs across three games.
Tampa Bay, meanwhile, continues a postseason run that has quickly become one of the biggest stories in baseball.
The Rays now have a chance to take another step toward the World Series after completely shutting down the Yankees and becoming the first team to advance to the American League Championship Series.
