Tampa Bay gave its Central Florida followers another round of October baseball Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, beating the Yankees 4–3 in New York to complete an American League Division Series sweep.
The sixth inning decided it. Victor Mesa Jr. hit a two-run homer to break a 2–2 tie. Ryan Vilade had supplied an earlier solo shot in the fourth.
New York then appeared to draw level on Anthony Volpe’s drive. After reviewing spectator interference, umpires changed the home run to an RBI double. Tampa Bay still led by one.
That margin lasted. Ian Seymour received the win; Bryan Baker earned the save with a scoreless ninth and two strikeouts, according to MLB’s game summary.
The sweep looks comfortable on paper. The finish was anything but: one changed call separated a tied game from the lead Tampa Bay protected. For Rays fans in Winter Springs, the reward is an AL Championship Series to follow.
Sources
https://www.mlb.com/rays/news/rays-win-alds-2026
https://www.mlb.com/video/game/849838
https://www.mlb.com/yankees/video/homer-becomes-rbi-double-on-fan-interference-review
https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/video/mlb-game-3-highlights-rays-4-yankees-3/
