NEW YORK — Anthony Volpe’s jersey was caked in dirt as he fielded grounders at shortstop before the ninth inning of Game 4 of the World Series. The New York Yankees were on the brink of a victory that would keep their season alive.
Then, the most exhilarating moment of Volpe’s life unfolded.
Like many kids who grew up playing baseball in the New York area, Volpe dreamed of becoming the Yankees’ shortstop and a franchise icon like his hero, Derek Jeter. While the odds of such a dream coming true are nearly impossible, Volpe now lives it out 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 just 4 years old when his father went to war, and upon his return, they bonded over Yankees games on the radio. Every night, trying to make up for lost time, the two would share stories of life and baseball.
Growing up, Volpe wore No. 7 in honor of his grandfather’s idol, Mickey Mantle. So Tuesday night embodied a dream fulfilled for Volpe and his ancestors. He launched a go-ahead 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 himself.
But the moment that stood at the most came with the Yankees leading 11-4 in the ninth inning. Nearly 50,000 fans at Yankee Stadium erupted began chanting “Vol-pe! Vol-pe! Vol-pe!” He turned toward the Bleacher Creatures and saluted them, striving to maintain his composure. Deep down, the 23-year-old was experiencing the pinnacle of his life’s journey.
“Number one,” Volpe exclaimed with pure joy. “Definitely number one.”
Yankee Stadium hadn’t erupted like it did on Tuesday in 15 years, not since Game 6 of the 2009 World Series. Shortly after that victory, an 8-year-old Volpe watched the championship parade with his family, dreaming of one day parading down the Canyon of Heroes as fans chanted his name the same way he did for Jeter.
Fifteen years later, on the set of FOX’s postgame show, Jeter playfully ribbed Volpe, suggesting he should have been in school instead of at the parade.
But with the Yankees down 3-1 in the World Series and history against them, Volpe admitted he hadn’t fully 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 envisioned nights like Tuesday’s “probably every night” as a child. He doesn’t take for granted that this dream was shared by his friends, his cousins, and even his sister, Olivia. But winning the World Series always loomed as his top aspiration.
“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 it himself, hitting a solo home run into the second deck to extend the Yankees’ lead to 6-4. Earlier, he smacked a double with Volpe on second base; although Volpe’s baserunning blunder may have cost the Yankees an additional run, it ultimately didn’t matter as the offense finally broke through against the Dodger bullpen.
Los Angeles opted not to use its high-leverage relievers, believing it will certainly win one of the next three games, rendering a Game 4 loss moot. However, the Yankees faced a must-win scenario. If the Yankees mount a comeback, it will surely deserve its own Netflix documentary, like the one currently on the streaming platform now, and the offensive explosion led by Volpe’s grand slam in Game 4 should be its starting point.
New York @Yankees SS @Volpe_Anthony joins our show to talk about his huge grand slam and performance in #WorldSeries Game 4!@KevinBurkhardt | @AROD | @DavidOrtiz | @DerekJeter pic.twitter.com/m4ud4dmum3
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 30, 2024
“We were down 2-0, but we still said, ‘Hey, this ain’t gonna 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-acquainted with comebacks from 0-3 deficits, gifted Volpe a shirt featuring Big Papi in a Red Sox jersey with the caption, “My Dawg!” Volpe chuckled, insisting he wouldn’t ever wear it, knowing it would be sacrilegious to don Boston gear.
Yet, even more meaningful than the shirt were Jeter’s words on set. In the same way he idolized Jeter, countless New York kids now aspire to be like Volpe, dreaming of one day hitting a grand slam in the World Series at Yankee Stadium as the franchise’s shortstop.
And perhaps, if they’re lucky, they’ll one day recount how that grand slam led to baseball immortality.
(Top photo of Volpe waving to the crowd: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)
