New York (AFP) – Anthony Volpe smashed a grand slam as the New York Yankees avoided being swept in the World Series on Tuesday with an 11-4 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Volpe’s third-inning blast gave the Yankees a 5-2 edge, their first lead since game one, and later homers by Gleyber Torres and Austin Wells sparked New York’s rout.
“I pretty much blacked out as soon as I saw it go over the fence,” Volpe said. “Everyone had confidence that someone was going to get the big hit…when the guys have confidence in you, I feel like you could do anything.” The Yankees pulled within 3-1 in the best-of-seven Major League Baseball championship showdown with game five on Wednesday at Yankee Stadium.
“We showed what we’re capable of doing as a team,” Torres said. “We’ll just try to continue that. Go tomorrow like there’s no tomorrow.” No team has ever recovered from a 3-0 deficit to win the World Series, but the Yankees became the first team in 54 years to force a fifth game when down 0-3.
“It’s going to take a lot,” Wells said. “No one has done what we’re trying to accomplish.” New York denied the Dodgers an eighth World Series title and first since 2020 while keeping alive hopes of the Yankees winning their first crown since 2009 and 28th overall.
“It’s good to have pressure,” Wells said. “It means that we’re in a good spot and people are counting on you, so I enjoy the pressure.” Wells, 25, became the youngest Yankees catcher to homer in the World Series after going 4-for-43 in the playoffs previously.
“I just said screw it, we’re down three and just went out there,” Wells said. “I just blacked out. I don’t really know what I did.” It was a record-shattering night for Los Angeles first baseman Freddie Freeman, who smashed a two-run homer in the first inning to become the first player with homers in the first four games of a World Series.
Freeman, who blasted a walk-off grand slam to win game one, also moved past George Springer to set a record with homers in six consecutive World Series contests, counting the last two games from his 2021 title run with Atlanta. Mookie Betts doubled in the first inning and scored on Freeman’s homer then made a great grab for an out in foul territory despite a Yankees fan trying to pull the ball out of his glove.
Volpe scored from third base in the second inning on Alex Verdugo’s ground out, but the best was yet to come.
Yankees dominate late – The game turned in the third as the Yankees loaded the bases to set the stage for Volpe, who blasted his grand slam into the centerfield stands for a 5-2 Yankees edge. “Just getting the lead early was important and he gave us that with that one swing, and that was huge,” Wells said. “It allowed us to keep the lead and keep pushing and have aggressive at-bats.”
It was the sixth grand slam of this year’s playoffs, an MLB record. Will Smith lifted the Dodgers within 5-3 with a solo homer in the fifth, and Los Angeles added another run on a video replay over-rule when Freeman was declared safe at first base to allow Tommy Edman to score from third to make it 5-4.
But Wells homered in the sixth, and the Yankees broke it open in the eighth as Volpe doubled, stole third, and beat a throw home from second to score. Torres added a three-run homer, and Juan Soto doubled and scored on a Judge single.
“A lot of people getting in on the act was great,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “A lot of pitchers did really good things, really good defense. So good night for us and we’ll get another opportunity tomorrow.”
© 2024 AFP
