In the moments before the ninth inning started, with the Yankees sitting on a huge lead, the 49,354 in the stands at Yankee Stadium started chanting Anthony Volpe’s name. He’d had a huge night, from an early grand slam to a late rally-starting double and two stolen bases, in a game the desperate Yanks needed to win to keep their season alive.
It was the stuff of goosebumps, pretty amazing for a kid from New Jersey who grew up to become the shortstop for the team he’s always loved. In the interview room after the Yankees beat the Dodgers, 11-4, in Game 4 of the World Series, Volpe was asked where it ranked on the list of coolest moments of his life.
“Yeah,” he said, grinning. “Number one.” Even over the grand slam? “Yeah,” Volpe said, “probably.”
It’ll doubtless be a forever memory for Volpe, the highlight of an October breakthrough that could be talked about for years. Overall this postseason, Volpe has a .407 on-base percentage, second on the Yankees to Juan Soto (.441), and his at-bats have looked much better than they did through stretches of what was a so-so offensive season.
In Game 4, Volpe was 2-for-3 with four RBI, three runs scored and two stolen bases. He overcame an early baserunning blunder – he failed to score from second on a long double by Austin Wells in the second inning because he read the play wrong – to be the most impactful player on the field in what could’ve been the Yankees' last game of 2024.
His grand slam, the ninth by a Yankee in World Series history, came in the third inning and turned a 2-1 deficit into a 5-2 lead. The Stadium had some quiet time early because Freddie Freeman slugged another first-inning homer, but Volpe’s shot pumped life back into the place.
“I was just glad because I felt like, you know, the fans were so ready to erupt last night, and we just got behind and just we couldn't punch things in,” Aaron Boone said. “So it's like you finally got to see the top blow off Yankee Stadium in a World Series game. It's like they've been waiting for 48 hours to do that.”
For Volpe, it’s been a lifetime. His Yankee roots run deep, starting with his grandfather. Volpe has told the story before. His grandfather got to know his own father, Volpe’s great-grandfather, by sitting on his lap and listening to Yankee games after his father had returned from World War II.
“The Yankees are more than just a team, an organization, for him,” Volpe explained. They are a long connection to family.
So Volpe's family members and friends were in the stands Tuesday night. He did not know how many were there, though. His mom was in charge of tickets.
“I don’t even know, really, who got what, but I know she was grinding for all she could get,” Volpe said.
After the game, Volpe was interviewed on FOX by Derek Jeter, someone else who grew up wanting to be the Yankee shortstop. “It’s pretty crazy to think about,” Volpe said. David Ortiz was there, too, and gave Volpe a shirt, though Volpe said he won’t wear it because it’s got Ortiz on it in Red Sox gear.
Perhaps Volpe should reconsider: The Yankees, of course, are trying to pull off something only the Red Sox have accomplished – come back from a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven series. It’s never happened in the World Series, but Boston stunned the Yankees with such a rally in the 2004 ALCS. Ortiz was on that Red Sox team.
Of course, the deficit in this World Series is now 3-1. The Yankees got there because of Volpe, a bullpen that was nails once again – five scoreless innings – and firepower from other slots in the lineup, including homers from Wells and Gleyber Torres.
Volpe and Wells having a big night together was something that was clearly meaningful to both players. They are so close that Volpe says, “It’s not really a friendship anymore. It’s a brotherhood…He’s my first call, my last call.”
The Yankees still face a daunting task. The Dodgers kept their best relievers out of Game 4, saving them to deploy in Game 5. But at least the Yankees took a first step. We’ll see if they can make it more meaningful than that. They have their ace, Gerrit Cole, starting Game 5.
Will some other Yankee get to have his own coolest moment?