Jeffrey Maier nearly had company.<\/p>\n
With the Yankees<\/a> on the brink of elimination, Anthony Volpe<\/a> appeared to hit a game-tying two-run home run in the sixth inning of Wednesday night\u2019s ALDS Game 3 against the Tampa Bay Rays in the Bronx.<\/p>\n But in a season-altering gut punch, an umpire review found that Volpe\u2019s clutch, two-out blast against reliever Griffin Jax had some help.<\/p>\n Replays determined a fan\u2019s outstretched hands aided the ball over the left-field wall. The initial call of a home run was overturned, resulting in an RBI ground-rule double for Volpe and leaving the Yankees trailing still, 4-3.<\/p>\n That proved to be the final score as the Rays completed a three-game sweep and extended the Yankees\u2019 World Series drought<\/a> to 17 years.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a broken clubhouse,\u201d manager Aaron Boone said. \u201cIt\u2019s what you go through as a team, as a family over the last eight, nine months getting ready for this, and there\u2019s just \u2014 it\u2019s the worst. It\u2019s the worst.\u201d<\/p>\n Tampa Bay tagged Yankees co-ace Max Fried for four runs \u2014 all with two outs \u2014 over his 5.2 innings. Rays rookie Victor Mesa Jr. delivered the decisive blow, with his tie-breaking two-run homer in the top of the sixth holding up as the game-winner.<\/p>\n But the lasting image Wednesday was Volpe\u2019s 357-foot screamer caroming off of the fan\u2019s hands \u2014 and Spencer Jones striking out moments later to strand Volpe at second base.<\/p>\n \u201cYou go from a tie game to down one, so it definitely sucks,\u201d Fried said of the momentum shift. \u201cHe made a great swing, and it\u2019s just the way the game goes sometimes. It\u2019s unfortunate, because it changes the game.\u201d<\/p>\n