The Tampa Bay Rays are going back to the American League Championship Series after completing a three-game sweep of the New York Yankees. Ryan Vilade launched a solo home run in the fourth inning, Victor Mesa Jr. added a two-run blast in the sixth, and Tampa Bay held on for a 4-3 win to close out the series.
The defining moment came in the sixth, when Anthony Volpe drove a ball to the wall that was initially ruled a two-run homer. After review, fan interference was called, Volpe was awarded a double, and only one run scored. That one-run swing proved decisive in the final score, and it’s the play Suncoast baseball fans will be debating for weeks.
The Rays now await the winner of the Guardians and White Sox series, and Game 1 of the ALCS is set for Monday night at Tropicana Field. History is on their side: both previous ALCS appearances, in 2008 and 2020, ended with the Rays in the World Series. Is this the year they finish the job? Let us know in the comments.
