World Series: Anthony Volpe's grand slam sparks Yankees' Game 4 win over Dodgers to keep championship hopes alive

In the quiet of the home clubhouse Monday night – after the Yankees fell in what historically has proven to be an insurmountable World Series hole – players resolutely spoke about making history.

“All it takes is one,” Aaron Judge said. “All it takes is one swing, one at-bat, one play and everything changes.”

Tuesday night, it wasn’t the Yankees captain who had that one swing the Yankees hope will lead to the comebacks of comebacks.

It was Anthony Volpe, who grew up a die-hard Yankees fan, his idol the franchise’s previous captain, Derek Jeter.

The second-year shortstop hit a game-turning grand slam in the third inning, flipping a one-run deficit into a three-run lead, which helped send the Yankees to an 11-4 victory over the Dodgers in front of an in-it-throughout sellout crowd of 49,354 at the Stadium.

“AV gave us that jolt of energy we needed,” Alex Verdugo said of Volpe’s blast, the 15th postseason grand slam in franchise history and the first in a World Series since Tino Martinez’s in Game 1 of the 1998 Series. “That big hit we’ve been looking for happened.”

No team has ever rallied from a three-games-to-none deficit in the World Series and the Yankees, though copping their first win of the set, are a long way from doing so. But the prospect of at the very least sending things back to Los Angeles for Game 6 is very real as ace Gerrit Cole, tremendous in Game 1, gets the start in Wednesday night’s Game 5.

“Every time G goes out there, we feel like we’re in a great spot,” Jazz Chisholm Jr. said of Cole. “He’s like the best pitcher in the world. I think we have a great chance every time he steps on the field.”

Volpe’s blast gave the Yankees a 5-2 lead and they received another big swing, this one from Volpe’s close friend, rookie catcher Austin Wells, after the Dodgers closed to 5-4.

Wells, having a miserable postseason at the plate - entering the night (4-for-43) but already with a double in the game - homered into the second deck in the sixth inning to make it 6-4.

“It's not really a friendship anymore. It's a brotherhood,” Volpe said, clearly as excited for Wells’ success as his own. “We've been through it all together (in the minors). The highest of highs and, at some point, the lowest of lows. He's my first call, my last call. Like I said, it's more than a friendship. It's a brotherhood. I know he has my back through thick and thin.”

Said Wells: “I think the cool part about coming up together was that we both had the same goals coming up here and being able to help contribute to a winning team and knowing that our goal was to help win a World Series. So I think for the both of us being here in this position, I think that was kind of something that we both felt we could bring to the table, and it's pretty cool to be here.”

Volpe helped spark a five-run eighth that broke it open, doubling with one out, stealing third and coming in on Alex Verdugo’s grounder to second, the speedy shortstop beating Gavin Lux’s throw home. Gleyber Torres followed with a three-run homer to right, his second homer of these playoffs making it 10-4. Juan Soto doubled after Torres’ blast and Judge’s line-drive RBI single to left made it 11-4.

The Yankees, who had nine hits – the Dodgers had six – came in having scored seven runs in the series, batting .186 with three homers and a .578 OPS, striking out 31 times in 102 at-bats. They were 4-for-20 with runners in scoring position with 25 stranded. The Dodgers came in hitting .213 with five homers and a .753 OPS, striking out 17 times in 94 at-bats over the first three games.

“Our guys were ready to play,” Aaron Boone said. “Obviously, a lot of big at-bats.”

After Luis Gil allowed four runs, five hits and two walks over four innings, the Yankees bullpen shined, led by Luke Weaver, who struck out three over 1 1/3 innings. Tim Hill, Clay Holmes and Mark Leiter Jr. preceded Weaver, who held the 6-4 lead. The eighth-inning eruption allowed Boone to plug in Tim Mayza for the ninth, potentially saving Weaver’s availability for Game 5.

Freddie Freeman, who hit a game-winning grand slam in Game 1 and homered in each successive game, made it four straight games with a homer, his two-run shot in the first off Luis Gil sucking much of the life from the crowd. But that was partially restored in the second when Verdugo’s groundout brought in Volpe – who walked with one out – and if the building had a roof, it would have blown off when Volpe drove Daniel Hudson’s first-pitch slider over the wall in left.

“Just incredible,” Judge said of Volpe, whom he’s mentored since spring training 2023 when the latter beat out Oswald Peraza to win the starting shortstop job. “He brought a lot of energy tonight on both sides of the ball. And a huge grand slam. That was a special swing. All it takes is just one swing.”