The Tampa Bay Rays love New York.
Tampa Bay defeated the Yankees 4-3 in Game 3 of the ALDS on Wednesday, eliminating their division rival from the postseason.
Rays closer Bryan Baker struck out Trent Grisham with the tying run on second base to end the game. Baker earned his third save of the series after following starter Nick Martinez and four relievers.
Rookie Victor Mesa Jr.'s two-run home run in the sixth inning proved to be the difference, clobbering a no-doubter to chase Yankees starter Max Fried from the contest. Fried allowed four earned runs on seven hits across 5 2/3 innings.
"We deserved this because we wanted it more," Mesa told Lauren Shehadi of TNT Sports following the victory.
The Rays advance to the American League Championship Series for the first time since 2020 and will face either the Cleveland Guardians or the Chicago White Sox.
Wednesday marks the second time the Rays are celebrating at Yankee Stadium this season, after clinching the AL East title in the Bronx on Sept. 22.
New York appeared to tie the game in the sixth inning on a two-run homer by Anthony Volpe, but the call was overturned due to fan interference.
The Yankees haven't won a World Series since 2009, despite appearing in the postseason 13 out of the last 17 seasons.
"The ending is terrible. There's one team at this time of year that is going to go home happy," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said following the loss, according to SNY.
"For us, there's just no easy way. It's a broken clubhouse. What you go through as a team, as a family, over the last eight or nine months to get ready for this. It's the worst."
