Anthony Volpe hit a grand slam, Austin Wells added a solo homer and Gleyber Torres bashed a late three-run home run for insurance Tuesday as the Yankees staved off elimination for at least one night by beating the Dodgers, 11-4, in Game 4 of the World Series.
The Yankee bullpen outperformed the Dodger relievers, who started the night with a bullpen game as their pitching plan. Five Yankee relievers combined to allow no runs, one hit and one walk in five innings of work.
And this time, the Yankees overcame an early deficit and a Freddie Freeman home run. Freeman homered in the first -- again -- and gave the Dodgers a 2-0 lead they couldn’t hold.
Are the Yanks, who still trail in the best-of-seven Fall Classic, three games to one, now activated? We’ll find out beginning at Wednesday night’s Game 5 at Yankee Stadium as they send Gerrit Cole against Jack Flaherty in a rematch of the opener.
Here are the takeaways...
- Volpe’s grand slam came in the third inning, and it turned a 2-1 deficit into a 5-2 Yankee lead and put a huge jolt into the crowd. It was the first postseason home run of Volpe’s career and the ninth grand slam in the World Series by a Yankee and 23rd overall. The last slam slugged by a Yankee in the Fall Classic was by Tino Martinez in 1998 against the Padres. Volpe’s grand slam was also the sixth overall this postseason, the most in any single October. After the inning ended and the Yankees came out to play defense, fans were still chanting Volpe’s name.
- Freeman smacked a 2-1 slider from Yankee starter Luis Gil into the right-field stands for his fourth homer of this World Series, giving the Dodgers an early 2-0 lead. He’s the first player ever to homer in each of the first four games of a Fall Classic and his streak of six consecutive World Series games with a longball snapped a record he shared with George Springer for longest streak. It was Freeman’s 14th career postseason home run and he quieted the Yankee Stadium crowd early for the second straight night.
- The Dodgers pulled within one run in the top of the fifth inning. Will Smith led off with his third home run of the postseason and first in this World Series. It came on a 0-2 pitch. Gil remained in to face the next batter, but he walked Tommy Edman and his night was done. Shohei Ohtani singled off reliever Tim Hill, the lefty brought in to face him, and then Mookie Betts hit into a fielder’s choice. Freeman followed with a potential double-play grounder to second, but Torres’ high flip to Volpe likely cost the Yankees. Volpe had to reach for it and then transfer the ball to his throwing hand. Freeman beat the throw and got an RBI for his hustle. Freeman, hobbled by an ankle injury in the NLCS, clearly is at full speed now. Clay Holmes, the eventual winning pitcher, got the final out of the fifth and then threw a perfect sixth.
- Gil was the first Yankee starter 26 or younger to start a game in the Fall Classic since Andy Pettitte, 26, started Game 4 of the 1998 World Series. He was eh. He lasted four-plus innings and allowed four runs and five hits. Gil, who led MLB in walks during the regular season, only walked two. But he only struck out one and allowed two homers.
- Something clicked for Wells offensively, a day after he did not start Game 3. He entered the game just 4-for-43 in the postseason, a .093 average, but he was transformed into a dynamic offensive player in Game 4. He smacked a long double to center in the second inning and then in the sixth clouted his first career World Series home run, a solo shot to boost the Yankee lead to 6-4. It was Wells’ second home run of the Postseason. Wells’ homer was clocked at an exit velocity of 107 mph and landed in the second deck in right field.
- The Yanks scored four times in the eighth inning to blow open the game. Volpe doubled with one out and Wells walked and then they executed a double steal. Volpe scored on a contact play, darting for the plate when Alex Verdugo hit a grounder and beating the throw. Then Torres connected for his first career World Series homer and his second home run of this postseason. The late offensive explosion meant the Yankees did not send closer Luke Weaver back out for the ninth inning, using Tim Mayza instead.
- Mark Leiter Jr. started the seventh inning and struck out two, including Ohtani, though he walked Edman in between and Edman stole second. Weaver came in to face Betts with two out in the seventh inning and a runner on second base and struck him out with a 96.6 mph four-seamer. Weaver, who had a 2.13 ERA in 10 postseason appearances entering Game 4, then threw a 1-2-3 eighth, including strikeouts of Teoscar Hernández and Max Muncy.
- In the bottom of the second, Volpe appeared to have a misread on the basepaths. The Yankees have struggled with baserunning throughout the season and when Volpe went back to tag up at second base on Wells’ deep drive to center, he could not score on what ended up a double off the wall. Volpe did score on another RBI grounder by Verdugo, cutting the Dodger lead to 2-1.
- Aaron Judge, under massive scrutiny because of his postseason wobbles, was 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored and reached base safely three times – he walked and was hit in the right hand by a 95-mph fastball. He is now 7-for-46 this postseason (.152) with seven RBI, including 2-for-15 (.133) in the World Series.
- In the top of the fourth, Anthony Rizzo made a tremendous defensive play on a foul pop hit by Teoscar Hernández. Rizzo knelt atop the railing in front of the stands and plucked the pop out of the sky while he was up against the protective netting. It was dazzling.
Game MVP: Anthony Volpe
Volpe, who had a huge moment, hitting a grand slam in the World Series for the team he grew up rooting for. It was a 107.6 mph drive that traveled 390 feet to left center. Volpe also walked, stole a base and scored in the second inning and doubled, stole another bag and scored again in the eighth.