Anthony Volpe’s hometown grand slam provides a Yankees moment in Game 4

On By Littum

NEW YORK – Anthony Volpe’s jersey was smeared with dirt when he grounded out to shortstop before the ninth inning of Game 4 of the World Series. The New York Yankees were on the verge of a victory that would keep their season alive.

Then the most exciting moment in Volpe’s life unfolded.

Like many kids who grew up playing baseball in the New York area, Volpe dreamed of becoming a Yankees shortstop and a franchise icon like his hero, Derek Jeter. Although the odds of such a dream coming true are almost impossible, Volpe now lives it every day.

His deep-rooted Yankees fandom spans generations. His great-grandfather immigrated from Italy and made a living selling fruit from a pushcart in downtown Manhattan. He later fought in World War II and returned home with shrapnel wounds. Volpe’s grandfather was only 4 years old when his father went to war, and when he returned, they bonded over Yankees games on the radio. Every night, trying to make up for lost time, the two shared stories about life and baseball.

Growing up, Volpe wore No. 7 in honor of his grandfather’s idol, Mickey Mantle. So Tuesday night embodied a dream come true for Volpe and his ancestors. He launched a walk-off grand slam in the third inning, giving the Yankees a 5-2 lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers. He also stole two bases, becoming the first Yankee to hit a grand slam and steal multiple bases in a game – regular season or postseason – since none other than Mantle.

But the moment that stood out the most came with the Yankees leading 11-4 in the ninth inning. Nearly 50,000 fans at Yankee Stadium erupted and began chanting “Vol-pe! Vol-pe! Vol-pe!” He turned to the Bleacher Creatures and greeted them, striving to keep his composure. Deep down, the 23-year-old experienced the peak of his life’s journey.

“Number one,” Volpe exclaimed with pure joy. “Definitely number one.”

Yankee Stadium hadn’t erupted like it did Tuesday in 15 years, not since Game 6 of the 2009 World Series. Shortly after that win, an 8-year-old Volpe watched the championship parade with his family and dreamed of one day parading down the Canyon of Heroes as fans chanted his name the way he did for Jeter.

Fifteen years later, on the tapings of Fox’s postgame show, Jeter playfully ribbed Volpe and suggested he should have been at school instead of the parade.

But with the Yankees down 3-1 in the World Series and history stacked against them, Volpe admitted he hadn’t quite grasped the significance of Tuesday night.

“Hopefully when we win the World Series and I’m with my family, we can reflect on everything,” Volpe said. “It was just a big game. We wanted to go 1-0 today and see where it takes us.”

Volpe imagined nights like Tuesday “probably every night” as a child. He does not take for granted that this dream was shared by his friends, his cousins ​​and his sister, Olivia. But winning the World Series was always his greatest ambition.


Anthony Volpe could only dream of nights like Tuesday, but this time he made it a reality. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

“Nothing else compares,” Volpe said. “So there’s still a lot of work to do.”

Austin Wells, Volpe’s best friend on the team, felt the ground shake when Volpe hit his grand slam. The two had often discussed what this moment would feel like if they reached this stage together.

Wells spent countless nights at Volpe’s childhood home, poring over old Yankees footage and imagining the electric atmosphere of an October crowd at Yankee Stadium. On Tuesday, he experienced that, hitting a solo home run into the second deck to extend the Yankees’ lead to 6-4. Earlier, he hit a double with Volpe at second base; while Volpe’s base-running blunder may have cost the Yankees an extra run, it ultimately didn’t matter as the offense finally broke through against the Dodgers bullpen.

Los Angeles chose not to use its high-leverage relievers, believing it will surely win one of the next three games, making a Game 4 loss out of the question. However, the Yankees faced a must-win scenario. If the Yankees make a comeback, it will certainly merit its own Netflix documentary, as the Red Sox have on the streaming platform now, and the offensive explosion led by Volpe’s grand slam in Game 4 should be the starting point.

“We were down 2-0, but we still said, ‘Hey, this isn’t going to be easy, but this is what we’re made for,'” Jazz Chisholm Jr. said. “Who doesn’t want to make history? I love making history. I love writing my name in the history books.”

After Game 4, Volpe spent a few moments with the Fox postgame crew, where David Ortiz, well-versed in comebacks from 3-0 deficits, presented Volpe with a shirt featuring Big Papi in a Red Sox jersey that read, “My Dawg! ” Volpe laughed and insisted he would never wear it, knowing that wearing Boston gear would be sacrilege.

Still, Jeter’s words on set were even more meaningful than the jersey. Just as he idolized Jeter, countless New York kids now aspire to be like Volpe, who dreams of one day hitting a World Series grand slam at Yankee Stadium as the franchise’s shortstop.

And maybe, if they’re lucky, one day they’ll tell how that grand slam led to baseball immortality.

(Top photo: Sarah Stier/Getty Images)