NEW YORK — Anthony Volpe’s jersey was caked in filth as he fielded grounders at shortstop earlier than the ninth inning of Sport 4 of the World Collection. The New York Yankees had been getting ready to a victory that will hold their season alive.
Then, essentially the most exhilarating second of Volpe’s life unfolded.
Like many youngsters who grew up taking part in baseball within the New York space, Volpe dreamed of turning into the Yankees’ shortstop and a franchise icon like his hero, Derek Jeter. Whereas the chances of such a dream coming true are practically unimaginable, Volpe now lives it day-after-day.
His deep-rooted Yankees fandom spans generations. His great-grandfather immigrated from Italy and made a residing promoting fruit from a pushcart in downtown Manhattan. He later fought in World Conflict II and returned dwelling with shrapnel wounds. Volpe’s grandfather was simply 4 years previous when his father went to battle, and upon his return, they bonded over Yankees video games on the radio. Each night time, attempting to make up for misplaced time, the 2 would share tales of life and baseball.
Rising up, Volpe wore No. 7 in honor of his grandfather’s idol, Mickey Mantle. So Tuesday night time embodied a dream fulfilled for Volpe and his ancestors. He launched a go-ahead grand slam within the third inning, giving the Yankees a 5-2 lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers. He additionally stole two bases, turning into the primary Yankee to hit a grand slam and steal a number of bases in a sport — common season or postseason — since none aside from Mantle.
However the second that stood out essentially the most got here with the Yankees main 11-4 within the ninth inning. Practically 50,000 followers at Yankee Stadium erupted and started chanting “Vol-pe! Vol-pe! Vol-pe!” He turned towards the Bleacher Creatures and saluted them, striving to keep up his composure. Deep down, the 23-year-old was experiencing the head of his life’s journey.
“Primary,” Volpe exclaimed with pure pleasure. “Undoubtedly primary.”
Yankee Stadium hadn’t erupted prefer it did Tuesday in 15 years, not since Sport 6 of the 2009 World Collection. Shortly after that victory, an 8-year-old Volpe watched the championship parade together with his household, dreaming of sooner or later parading down the Canyon of Heroes as followers chanted his title the identical approach he did for Jeter.
Fifteen years later, on the set of Fox’s postgame present, Jeter playfully ribbed Volpe, suggesting he ought to have been in class as an alternative of on the parade.
However with the Yankees down 3-1 within the World Collection and historical past in opposition to them, Volpe admitted he hadn’t absolutely grasped the importance of Tuesday night time.
“Hopefully, once we win the World Collection and I’m with my household, we will replicate on all the things,” Volpe mentioned. “It was only a massive sport. We wished to go 1-0 right now and see the place it takes us.”
Volpe envisioned nights like Tuesday “in all probability each night time” as a baby. He doesn’t take as a right that this dream was shared by his associates, his cousins, and his sister, Olivia. However profitable the World Collection all the time loomed as his high aspiration.
Anthony Volpe might solely dream of nights like Tuesday, solely this time, he made it a actuality. (Sarah Stier / Getty Photos)
“Nothing else compares,” Volpe mentioned. “So there’s nonetheless a number of work to do.”
Austin Wells, Volpe’s finest good friend on the crew, felt the bottom shake when Volpe hit his grand slam. The 2 had typically mentioned what this second would really feel like in the event that they reached this stage collectively.
Wells spent numerous nights at Volpe’s childhood dwelling, poring over previous Yankees footage and imagining the electrical ambiance of an October crowd at Yankee Stadium. On Tuesday, he skilled it, hitting a solo dwelling run into the second deck to increase the Yankees’ result in 6-4. Earlier, he smacked a double with Volpe on second base; though Volpe’s base-running blunder could have value the Yankees an extra run, it finally didn’t matter because the offense lastly broke by means of in opposition to the Dodgers bullpen.
Los Angeles opted to not use its high-leverage relievers, believing it is going to actually win one of many subsequent three video games, rendering a Sport 4 loss moot. Nevertheless, the Yankees confronted a must-win state of affairs. If the Yankees mount a comeback, it is going to certainly deserve its personal Netflix documentary, just like the Purple Sox one on the streaming platform now, and the offensive explosion led by Volpe’s grand slam in Sport 4 ought to be its start line.
New York @Yankees SS @Volpe_Anthony joins our present to speak about his big grand slam and efficiency in #WorldSeries Sport 4!@KevinBurkhardt | @AROD | @DavidOrtiz | @DerekJeter pic.twitter.com/m4ud4dmum3
— FOX Sports activities: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 30, 2024
“We had been down 2-0, however we nonetheless mentioned, ‘Hey, this ain’t gonna be straightforward, however that is what we’re made for,’” Jazz Chisholm Jr. mentioned. “Who doesn’t wish to make historical past? I really like making historical past. I really like writing my title within the historical past books.”
After Sport 4, Volpe spent a number of moments with the Fox postgame crew, the place David Ortiz, well-acquainted with comebacks from 3-0 deficits, gifted Volpe a shirt that includes Huge Papi in a Purple Sox jersey with the caption, “My Dawg!” Volpe chuckled, insisting he wouldn’t ever put on it, figuring out it could be sacrilegious to don Boston gear.
But, much more significant than the shirt had been Jeter’s phrases on set. In the identical approach he idolized Jeter, numerous New York youngsters now aspire to be like Volpe, dreaming of sooner or later hitting a grand slam within the World Collection at Yankee Stadium because the franchise’s shortstop.
And maybe, in the event that they’re fortunate, they’ll sooner or later recount how that grand slam led to baseball immortality.
(High picture: Sarah Stier / Getty Photos)
