Anthony Volpe’s grand slam highlights the Yankees in Game 4 and prevents the Dodgers from winning the World Series

NEW YORK (AP) — Anthony Volpe was still wearing his dirty pinstripes 20 minutes into Game 4 of the World Series. He had just experienced a moment he called the coolest of his young life: 49,354 fans at Yankee Stadium chanted his name after his grand slam sparked the New York Yankees’ season-saving 11-4 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. For Volpe, the whole evening tended toward the surreal.

“I think I pretty much fainted when I saw it fly over the fence,” he said.

For the Yankees, Volpe’s dream spelled the end of a Fall Classic nightmare. With a blast in the third inning on Tuesday, Volpe gave the Yankees a lead for the first time since Game 1. From there, the bullpen stood firm and held off the Dodgers as the lineup delivered a big hit late at night to force Game 5 on Wednesday in the Bronx. The Yankees became only the fourth team in baseball history, and the first since 1970, to avoid a World Series victory with a 3-0 loss. No team facing a 3-0 deficit has ever forced Game 6.

Wednesday’s contest will be a rematch of the starters from Game 1, when Yankees ace Gerrit Cole dueled Dodgers rookie Jack Flaherty in an instant classic at Dodger Stadium. The opener of this series lasted 10 innings. From there, the Dodgers were on the verge of victory before Volpe hit Dodgers reliever Daniel Hudson deep. Throughout the rest of the evening, the audience serenaded Volpe, a boy from New Jersey who grew up supporting the Yankees and idolized Derek Jeter, and were thrilled that the season wasn’t over yet.

For Game 5, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts will have his entire cast of high-leverage relievers available after holstering them on Tuesday. Yankees manager Aaron Boone gets a chance to bring his team one step closer to a shocking comeback.

“We wanted to make it to tomorrow, and we did,” Boone said. “I look forward to the opportunity tomorrow.”

For the first time in the Fall Classic, the Yankees responded when wounded by the Dodgers. Volpe’s slam followed another home run in the first inning by Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman. After the Dodgers cut the Yankees’ lead to one, rookie catcher Austin Wells launched a solo shot to open the sixth inning and give the bullpen more breathing room. Volpe and Wells had a double steal in the eighth and both scored, the latter following a three-run home run from second baseman Gleyber Torres that eased the nerves. The Yankees singled out Dodgers mop-up man Brent Honeywell for five runs in the eighth, including an RBI single by struggling slugger Aaron Judge, who hit .133 for the Series.

THE @YANKEES PUT UP 10 RUNS #WORLDSERIES GAME 4! pic.twitter.com/qfkORDE5NX

– MLB (@MLB) October 30, 2024

The Dodgers opened the night in punt formation. Before the game, Roberts spoke with two rookie pitchers, Ben Casparius and Landon Knack, about the importance of length. Casparius was playing in his seventh big league game, with four appearances in October of that year. Knack made twelve starts in the regular season but was overwhelmed by the New York Mets in the National League Championship Series.

The rookies inherited a lead. For the second straight game, Freeman delivered a two-run home run in the first inning. He lifted a slider from Yankees starter Luis Gil into the right field porch in a replay of his Game 3 opening hit.

“Everyone was talking about today, ‘You’ve just got to score first, score first,'” Boone said. “Yeah, it’s great, but so am I. . . What if we don’t? We can’t win? We just have to play.”

The Yankees overcame an error by Volpe on the bases and managed to score a run in the second. After walking and securing second, Volpe was hugging the base as Wells smoked a fastball off the centerfield wall. Volpe could only advance to third base. “It’s entirely up to me,” Volpe said. “It’s not a hard read, one we practice, one the Little Leaguers make.” He was still able to score when outfielder Alex Verdugo hit a soft grounder to right, cutting the deficit to one.

The third time around, Roberts replaced Casparius with experienced substitute Hudson. The Dodgers prefer to use Hudson in lower leverage situations. He soon showed why. Hudson drilled Judge with a 95 mph fastball. Yankees third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. smoked a single. Hudson accompanied designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton on six throws. After a harmless pop-up from first baseman Anthony Rizzo, Volpe walked in with two outs and the bases were loaded.

Suddenly, Volpe was both an organizational triumph for the Yankees and something of a disappointment. Before he made his debut last season at age 21, he was considered one of the best prospects in baseball. He won a Gold Glove in the field but failed to make much of a splash with his bat. He wasn’t much more productive in his second season. His OPS dropped a few points to .657.

Before Tuesday’s game, Boone sounded prophetic when asked about Volpe. “I feel like in a few years we’ll look up and see a really, really strong offensive player,” Boone said. “For some people, that doesn’t always happen during a meteoric rise. But I feel like he’s moving things forward in a really good way.”

Boone is a sign of optimism for his team. The words might have felt hollow at 5 p.m. Volpe hadn’t scored since September 21st. He went 1-for-12 in the first three games of this series. He came still ready to strike. When Hudson hit a first-pitch slider, Volpe pulled the baseball just past the left field porch, hitting only the second grand slam of his career.

“Just getting the lead was huge tonight,” Wells said. “And that’s what he gave us, with that one punch.”

The Dodgers weren’t going to let the Yankees get away with it. Gil gave catcher Will Smith a home run in the fifth. He walked his final batter before ceding the floor to unconventional southpaw Tim Hill. The Dodgers added a second run in the inning after Shohei Ohtani hit a single and Freeman hit a double play.

Wells greeted Knack with malice in the sixth. Knack attempted to pump a 94 mph fastball to the top of the strike zone. Wells hit the ball into the second deck in right field. Like Volpe, he was also in the midst of a slump, hitting .093 in October and sitting on the bench for Game 3. Back in the lineup, he provided two of the biggest swings and assisted on Volpe’s signature shot.

The two clubs return to this stage on Wednesday. Both understand the mission.

“I feel great,” Roberts said. “I feel great.”

Volpe could only hope to repeat his Game 4 performance.

“We’re not just going to go under,” he said. “At all.”

(Photo by Anthony Volpe: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)