That blowout was supposed to be the biggest talking point from the Yankees-Red Sox clash on Sunday, but one controversial call stole the spotlight. Ceddanne Rafaela appeared to pull off a spectacular catch, only for the play to be ruled otherwise. Surprisingly, that opened the floodgates for a five-run Yankees rally.

Boston’s frustration was evident as the team challenged the call, but its $50 million star may have summed up the Red Sox’s feelings best with a pointed Instagram Story after the game.

“HA HA HA it’s ok. It’s a man above that saw it,” Rafaela wrote, as he shared zoomed-in footage of his catch on his Instagram Story.

The drama unfolded in the fifth inning with the Yankees’ Jazz Chisholm Jr at the plate. A fly ball off Chisholm’s bat was caught by Rafaela in the outfield, and it should have sent the Yankees batter back to the dugout. However, the first-base umpire Edwin Moscoso called it a trap, which resulted in a single instead.

Red Sox’s interim manager, Chad Tracy, then challenged the call.

Upon review, it appeared that although Rafaela made a diving catch, the ball may have touched the ground as he secured it. It was a very close call, which made it difficult to determine whether the ball had touched the ground.

Eventually, Chisholm got the benefit of the doubt and remained in the game.

“I didn’t even have to watch it; I know I made the catch,” Rafaela admitted to the media after the game, via NESN. “I know when a ball drops, and a ball doesn’t drop; I know I made the catch. They couldn’t overturn it, out of our control, but I was really mad at the moment. I really wanted to help my pitcher there, and I feel that changed the whole game.”

That one decision absolutely took the game away from the Red Sox as the Yankees went on to score 5 more runs in the inning.

In the next four innings, the Yankees piled up 11 additional runs to hand the Red Sox one of their biggest loss of the season – the scoreboard read 16-1. In the meantime, the review umpire up in the stands was on the receiving end of criticism from Red Sox fans.

“I think it’s tough to lose any of them, but obviously, everybody’s aware of that piece of it,” Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy added. 

Despite the series ending with the Yankees winning 3-1, the controversy is far from over. And when it involves the Yankees and Red Sox, it simply adds another chapter to their historic rivalry, which dates back more than 120 seasons. Plus, almost the same incident happened on Saturday during their first game of the doubleheader at Yankee Stadium.

In the fifth inning, Boston Red Sox second baseman Nick Sogard was not allowed to advance on a wild pitch by New York Yankees starter Carlos Rodon. Adley Rutschman scored from third base, while Sogard raced from second to third. To the surprise of the entire ballpark, along with the commentators, the on-field umpires sent Sogard back to second base, then to third, and then to second again without any clear explanation.

While in that game, Boston secured a 6-0 shutout, such patterns are growing familiar with fans.

The Red Sox will now face the Seattle Mariners, but a 16-1 defeat by the Yankees could haunt them for days. The controversy surrounding the umpire’s call will fade with time, but the scoreline? Another memory to stay.