How Anthony Volpe’s rebound sparked the Yankees and extended the World Series is a story of resilience and teamwork. NEW YORK — The bigger the spotlight on his individual efforts, the softer Anthony Volpe’s voice gets.
When the Yankees shortstop is asked about his performance in a given game, he tends to brush off the magnitude of his heroics before redirecting the spotlight onto his teammates. That was evident late Tuesday night, moments after he hit a grand slam for his first career playoff home run, leading to his appearance in the Yankees press conference room.
If the team is winning, then he feels he has succeeded as well.
“I love him; he’s like a little brother to me,” Anthony Rizzo said of Volpe. “He works so hard. He cares so much about his teammates. He never really gets down. So, for him to have that moment in the World Series, hometown kid, it’s pretty special.”
The Yankees forced a Game 5 against the Dodgers not through the efforts of Juan Soto, Aaron Judge, or Giancarlo Stanton. On a chilly Tuesday night in the Bronx, it was the Baby Bombers who rose to the occasion in the most important game of their careers to date.
Wells ripped a 406-foot double off the padding in center field in his first at-bat of the night, then crushed a solo shot to right field to lead off the sixth. Not only did the rookie’s second home run of the postseason extend a Yankees lead that had been narrowed to one, but it also reminded the 49,354 fans in attendance that, regardless of how this World Series concludes, the Yankees’ future looks bright with Volpe and Wells leading the charge.
The Yankees catcher echoed Volpe’s sentiment, noting that it was evident from the moment he got to know the shortstop in the Yankees’ minor-league system that they shared the same goals of contributing to a historic franchise. Neither player aspired to be superstars; they simply wanted to help the Yankees secure another title, even if their contributions were modest. However, Volpe’s clutch at-bat was anything but modest.
Wells remarked that Volpe’s grand slam in the third inning, which followed a two-run home run from Freddie Freeman in the first, allowed the Yankees to take a deep breath, relax, and enjoy the game. He explained that his teammates had been waiting for that “one big swing” to break out of a funk that had characterized three consecutive World Series losses.
“In that situation, we just needed to say screw it and go after it and have fun because some guys may never come back to the World Series again,” Wells said. “So, just enjoying the game allowed us to play a lot looser tonight.”
It’s well known that Volpe grew up in New Jersey, rooting for the Bronx Bombers and idolizing Derek Jeter. Now that he’s stepping into a similar role, the pressure to excel at the highest level, in front of the largest media market in the world, while facing scrutiny for every misplay, can be overwhelming. Perhaps the weight of expectations affected Volpe in the second inning when he misread Wells’ long double, hesitating to tag up from second before ultimately holding at third.
At times, his quiet demeanor can make him appear serious among the Yankees roster. However, left-hander Nestor Cortes provided a different perspective.
“He’s got a little fire in him. A little zest,” Cortes said. “He’s a little sassy. He’s becoming a little slicker, which is good. He came up as a highly touted prospect. A lot of people expected him to be the next Jeter. That’s a tough act to follow. I think he’s going to become a really good player — he already is. But I believe he will embrace who he is and create his own narrative here. He doesn’t have to mirror Jeter.”
Volpe was impressive in the postseason even before he became the fourth-youngest player to hit a grand slam in the World Series. He entered the Fall Classic with a .310 batting average, eight walks, six runs scored, and an .804 OPS in nine playoff games. Now, he stands as the Yankees’ World Series RBI leader with five. More importantly, he is a key reason there will be a Game 5 of the World Series on Wednesday.
What Volpe has demonstrated thus far in his young career is that he does not require the glaring spotlight or the lofty comparisons to a Yankees Hall of Famer to deliver in clutch moments for his team.
He simply needs to be himself.
