NEW YORK — When Anthony Volpe was 8 years old growing up in Watchung, New Jersey, the Yankees’ World Series script was led by the usual cast of characters.
It was Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada serving as the regulars in the plot.
Volpe took it in as an absorbed young fan, eventually watching the ticker-tape parade down the Canyon of Heroes. He was the latest in a long lineage of Yankees fans, beginning with his great-grandfather, who served in World War II and bonded with Volpe’s grandfather over their love of the Bronx Bombers.
On Tuesday night in a potential elimination game for the Yankees, it was Volpe’s turn to play a starring role in the franchise’s latest iconic World Series moment.
With the Yankees trailing by one run, two outs and the bases loaded in the third inning of Game 4 against the Dodgers, Volpe delivered for his hometown team. The 23-year-old, who grew up less than 30 miles from Yankee Stadium, ignited the fan base with a grand slam that turned the tide for the Yankees in their 11-4 win in front of 49,354 fans at Yankee Stadium.
“I think I pretty much blacked out as soon as I saw it go over the fence,” Volpe said. “We just want to keep putting pressure on them, and I think everyone had confidence in everyone in the lineup that someone was going to get the big hit.
“We’ve been having such good at-bats and putting such good swings on the ball, that we just felt like it was only a matter of time.”
Tuesday’s performance was a dream colliding with reality for Volpe, who finished 2-for-3 with the home run, double, two runs and two stolen bases. By the ninth inning, the entire sold-out crowd was chanting his name. Volpe soaked in what he called the “number one” coolest moment in his life.
“When Anthony hits that ball, it was fun to see Yankee Stadium erupt,” Aaron Boone said. “It’s like they’ve been waiting for 48 hours to do that. Then just the way the game went on and on, it was just the energy, the noise, the excitement. It was Yankee Stadium World Series game.”
ANTHONY VOLPE:New Jersey kid brings Delbarton championship spirit to Yankees’ World Series run
Anthony Volpe flips momentum in Game 4
The Dodgers had punched the air out of Yankee Stadium as they took a 3-0 series lead one night earlier.
Freddie Freeman had led the charge with a two-run home run with the game barely underway in the first inning. It was a near carbon-copy on Tuesday night as Freeman blasted another two-run home run off Luis Gil in the opening frame.
If the Yankees hoped to stay alive, something had to change.
In the second inning, Volpe helped get the Yankees back within one run when he walked, stole second and scored. Volpe was frustrated when he misread a double by Austin Wells into the right-center field gap and only moved up 90 feet, but he scored on a ground ball by Alex Verdugo in the next at-bat.
“It’s not a hard read, one we practice, one that Little Leaguers make,” Volpe said. “But (Verdugo) picked me right back up. I was frustrated with myself because I feel like I’ve got to do better, but I was confident in (Verdugo) that he was going to pick me up.
After Anthony Rizzo popped up in the Yankees’ first attempt with the bases loaded in the third, Volpe did not waste any time putting them ahead. The shortstop turned on a first-pitch slider from the Dodgers’ Daniel Hudson and deposited it over the left-field wall to provide the Yankees with a 5-2 lead — their first in two games at home.
The team that had scored first in the World Series had won in eight straight games dating back to 2022, but Volpe provided the key separation. The Yankees broke away with a five-run eighth inning, keyed by a three-run blast by Gleyber Torres.
“I think just getting the lead early was important tonight, and (Volpe) gave us that with that one swing, and that was huge,” Wells said. “It allowed us to keep the lead and keep pushing and have aggressive at-bats.”
Positive signs from Anthony Volpe
Boone believed there was positive momentum underneath Volpe’s middling offensive numbers down the stretch.
Despite a sophomore season during which Volpe slashed .243/.293/.364 with 12 home runs, 60 RBI and scored 90 runs in 160 games, Boone saw some key adjustments being made by Volpe.
“I think he’s grown a lot this postseason,” Boone said before the game. “Not surprised by the mental toughness he’s shown. Hopefully this is also a little bit of a springboard for him growing on the offensive side of the ball too.”
Entering Game 4, Volpe was slashing .244/.380/.268 with one double, six runs, two RBI and three stolen bases in the playoffs. He exited the night with the biggest moment and game of his young career. But there’s still room for more of his childhood dreams to be realized.
“Hopefully when we win the World Series and I’m with family, we can all reflect on everything,” Volpe said. “It was just a big game. We just wanted to go 1-0 today and win today and see where it took us.”
A moment for fellow newcomer Austin Wells
Volpe was not the only Yankees player who collected their first World Series home run on Tuesday night.
Wells’ introduction to the postseason had been marked by struggles. The rookie catcher entered Tuesday night with four hits in 43 at-bats and found himself on the bench for Game 3 on Monda night.
But Wells bounced back by going 2-for-3 with a home run, double, RBI and two runs. When the Dodgers got back within 5-4 in the fifth, the 25-year-old cranked a 384-foot solo home run off Landon Knack into the second deck in right field.
“I just tried to slow it down and have fun,” Wells said. “Didn’t put too much pressure on any pitch, any count, any at-bat. So just went up there and tried to have a good swing and really just slow it down.”
The Yankees catcher said he felt the pressure subside after the team went down by three games after Monday’s 4-2 loss. On Tuesday, he, along with his close friend Volpe, were key cogs in helping the Yankees snatch some momentum back heading into their final game at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday.
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