NEW YORK — The New York Yankees are still alive in the World Series, thanks in large part to their young homegrown shortstop.
Facing the specter of an embarrassing sweep, the Yankees got a grand slam from Anthony Volpe and stellar work from their bullpen in an 11-4 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 4 on Tuesday.
“Good night for us and we get another opportunity tomorrow,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.
Game 5 is set for Wednesday night in the Bronx. Yankees ace Gerrit Cole will get the start against Dodgers right-hander Jack Flaherty.
No team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit to win the World Series and the Dodgers remain confident.
“I don’t think anyone expected those guys to lay down. We had some at-bats that I thought could have been better, but we knew it was a bullpen game,” manager Dave Roberts said. “As far as outcomes, to have six guys in your ‘pen that are feeling good, rested, I feel good about that.”
Volpe was a thorn in the Dodgers’ side all night
Volpe did it all on a night New York needed everything it could get from everyone, finishing 2 for 3 with the aforementioned slam, three runs scored, two stolen bases, and several sparking plays in the field.
With the home side down 2-1 in the bottom of the third, Yankee Stadium, which was largely silent during Game 3 on Monday, finally erupted. Daniel Hudson, the Dodgers’ second pitcher of the night, hit Aaron Judge with one out. Jazz Chisholm Jr. followed with a long single off the wall in right, sending Judge to third. Chisholm then stole second and Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Rizzo walked, setting the stage for Volpe.
The native of nearby Watchung, New Jersey, laced the first pitch he saw from Hudson five rows deep in the left-field seats, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
“I was hustling. I didn’t know I got it,” Volpe said. “And then I blacked out.”
But the rout wasn’t on yet.
After a slow start, Yankees starter Luis Gil looked like he might get through the fifth inning, but he made a mistake leading off the frame and never regained his form. The Dodgers’ Will Smith smacked an 0-2 fastball up in the zone into the seats in right, cutting the Yankees’ lead to 5-3. Gil then walked Tommy Edman, prompting Boone to go to left-hander Tim Hill.
Hill, however, was greeted by a single to center by Shohei Ohtani. Mookie Betts then hit into a fielder’s choice, sending Edman to third. The Yankees looked like they were out of the inning when Freddie Freeman hit a double-play grounder to second, but he beat the relay throw, scoring Edman.
Bottom of the Yankees’ order finally came through
Much maligned over the first three game of the Series, New York’s bottom four hitters accounted for five hits and drove in seven runs in Game 4.
In the sixth, Austin Wells, who was batting eighth in the order, belted a Landon Knack fastball into the second deck in right, putting New York back up by two.
Then in the eighth, the Yankees batted around and put the game away. Volpe, their seventh-place hitter, got things going by beating the throw home on ninth-place hitter Alex Verdugo’s grounder to second.
Leaving nothing to chance, Gleyber Torres followed with a three-run homer to right, Juan Soto doubled to right, and struggling Judge delivered an RBI single to left, perhaps an indication that the Yankees’ superstar may have more to say in the Series moving forward.
“Gerrit’s the best pitcher in the game. We really believe in him,” Torres said of Cole taking the mound in Game 5. “But we have to do the job like we did tonight so we don’t have to put all the pressure on him.”
New York’s bullpen continued its strong bounce back from a disastrous showing in Game 1. The combination of Tim Hill, winning pitcher Clay Holmes, Mark Leiter Jr., Luke Weaver and Tim Mayza surrendered just one hit over the final five innings.
Freeman again got the Dodgers off to a quick start
Much like he did in Game 3, Freeman had the Bronx faithful fearing the worst right off the bat as he hit a two-run home run to right in the first inning.
The Yankees seemed poised to get both runs back in the bottom half, but Chisholm and Stanton failed to get the job done, the latter with runners on second and third with two out.
The Dodgers had a chance to extend their lead in the second when Gavin Lux led off with a double down the first base line, but Gil got Smith to pop out and Edman to line into a double play.
The Yankees got on the board during their turn at-bat in the second on Verdugo’s run-scoring groundout.
