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    • Anthony Volpe of Watchung NJ anchors the Yankees' victory over the Dodgers in Game 4
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    Anthony Volpe of Watchung NJ anchors the Yankees' victory over the Dodgers in Game 4

    Kathleen William Posted on

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    NEW YORK – When Anthony Volpe was 8 years old and growing up in Watchung, New Jersey, the Yankees' World Series script was directed by the usual cast of characters.

    It was Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada who served as regulars in the storyline.

    Volpe took it in as a rapt young fan, eventually watching the ticker parade through the Canyon of Heroes. He was the youngest in a long line of Yankees fans, starting with his great-grandfather, who served in World War II and bonded with Volpe's grandfather through their love of the Bronx Bombers.

    On Tuesday night, in a potential elimination game for the Yankees, it was Volpe's turn to play a starring role in the franchise's latest iconic World Series moment.

    With the Yankees trailing by one run and two outs and the bases loaded in the third inning of Game 4 against the Dodgers, Volpe delivered for his hometown team. The 23-year-old, who grew up less than 30 miles from Yankee Stadium, thrilled the fan base with a grand slam that turned the tide for the Yankees in their 11-4 victory in front of 49,354 fans at Yankee Stadium.

    “I think I pretty much fainted when I saw it fly over the fence,” Volpe said. “We just want to keep putting pressure on them, and I think everyone in the lineup had confidence that someone was going to make it big.”

    “We had such good shots and could swing the ball so well that we felt like it was just a matter of time.”

    Tuesday's performance was a dream colliding with reality for Volpe, who finished 2-3 with a home run, a double, two runs and two stolen bases. In the ninth inning, the entire sellout crowd chanted his name. Volpe enjoyed what he called the “number one coolest moment” in his life.

    “When Anthony hit that ball, it was funny to see Yankee Stadium explode,” Aaron Boone said. “It's like they've been waiting 48 hours for this. Then the game went on and on, it was just the energy, the noise, the excitement. It was a Yankee Stadium World Series game.”

    ANTHONY VOLPE: A New Jersey boy brings Delbarton's championship spirit to the Yankees' World Series run

    Anthony Volpe reverses the momentum in Game 4

    The Dodgers had knocked the wind out of Yankee Stadium when they took a 3-0 lead the night before.

    Freddie Freeman had led the charge with a two-run home run with the game barely underway in the first inning. It was almost a carbon copy Tuesday night when Freeman hit another two-run home run off Luis Gil in the first frame.

    If the Yankees hoped to stay alive, something had to change.

    In the second inning, Volpe helped bring the Yankees back within one run when he walked, stole second and scored. Volpe was frustrated when he misread a double from Austin Wells into the gap in right-center field that only traveled 90 feet, but on the next at-bat he scored on a groundball from Alex Verdugo.

    “It’s not a hard read, one we practice, one the Little Leaguers do,” Volpe said. “But (Verdugo) picked me up straight away. I was frustrated with myself because I felt like I had to do better, but I was confident (Verdugo) would pick me back up.”

    After Anthony Rizzo popped in the Yankees' first attempt with the bases loaded in the third, Volpe wasted no time in putting them ahead. The shortstop turned a first-pitch slider from the Dodgers' Daniel Hudson and placed it over the left field wall to give the Yankees a 5-2 lead – their first in two home games.

    The team that scored first in the World Series had won eight straight games since 2022, but Volpe made the difference. The Yankees pulled away with five runs in the eighth inning, the decisive factor being a three-run blast from Gleyber Torres.

    “I think tonight it was important to just get an early lead and (Volpe) gave us that with that one shot and that was huge,” Wells said. “It allowed us to keep the lead, keep pushing and make aggressive attacks.”

    Positive Signs by Anthony Volpe

    Boone believed there was positive momentum behind Volpe's mediocre offensive numbers down the stretch.

    Despite a sophomore season in which Volpe hit .243/.293/.364 with 12 home runs, 60 RBI and 90 runs scored in 160 games, Boone saw Volpe make some important adjustments.

    “I think he’s grown a lot this postseason,” Boone said before the game. “The mental strength he showed doesn’t surprise me. Hopefully this will also be a little stepping stone for him to grow on the offensive side of the ball as well.”

    Entering Game 4, Volpe was batting .244/.380/.268 with a double, six runs, two RBI and three stolen bases in the playoffs. He ended the night with the biggest moment and game of his young career. But there is still room for further childhood dreams to come true.

    “If we win the World Series and I'm with my family, hopefully we can all think about everything,” Volpe said. “It was just a big game. We just wanted to win 1-0 today and win today and see where it takes us.”

    A moment for his newcomer colleague Austin Wells

    Volpe wasn't the only Yankees player to hit his first home run in the World Series on Tuesday night.

    Wells' introduction to the postseason was marked by difficulty. The rookie catcher came into Tuesday night's game with four hits in 43 at-bats and was on the bench for Game 3 on Monday night.

    But Wells rebounded by going 2-for-3 with a home run, a double, an RBI and two runs scored. When the Dodgers got back to 5-4 in the fifth, the 25-year-old hit a 384-foot solo home run off Landon Knack into the second deck in right field.

    “I just tried to slow it down and have fun,” Wells said. “I never applied too much pressure on any pitch, on any count, on any shot. So I just went up there and tried to have a good swing and really slow it down.”

    The Yankees catcher said he felt the pressure easing after the team lost three games following Monday's 4-2 loss. On Tuesday, he, along with his close friend Volpe, played a key role in giving the Yankees some momentum before their final game on Wednesday at Yankee Stadium.

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    Kathleen William
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