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’ll have another opportunity tomorrow,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.
Game 5 is scheduled for Wednesday night in the Bronx. Yankees ace Gerrit Cole will 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 fold. We had a few at-bats that I thought could have been better, but we knew it was a bullpen game. bullpen,” manager Dave Roberts said. “As far as results go, having six guys in your bullpen feeling good and rested, I feel good.”
Volpe was a thorn in the side of the Dodgers all night
Volpe did it all on a night when New York needed everything it could get from everyone, finishing 2 of 3 with the aforementioned slam, three runs scored, two stolen bases and several triggering plays down the field .
With the home team leading 2-1 late in the third, Yankee Stadium, who was largely silent during Game 3 on Mondayfinally broke. Daniel Hudson, the Dodgers’ second pitcher of the night, hit Aaron Judge with one out. Jazz Chisholm Jr. followed with a long single over the wall in right, sending Judge to third. Chisholm then stole second and Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Rizzo walked, leading the way for Volpe.
Originally from nearby Watchung, New Jerseythrew the first pitch he saw from Hudson five rows deep in the left field seats, whipping the crowd into a frenzy.
“I was scrambling. I didn’t know I had it figured out,” Volpe said. “And then I lost consciousness.”
But the rout was not yet here.
After a slow start, Yankees starter Luis Gil looked like he might make it through the fifth inning, but he made an early error and never regained his form. The Dodgers’ Will Smith threw an 0-2 fastball across the zone into the right field seats, cutting the Yankees’ lead to 5-3. Gil then walked Tommy Edman, prompting Boone to walk to left-hander Tim Hill.
Hill, however, was greeted by a single to center from Shohei Ohtani. Mookie Betts then hit a fielder’s choice, sending Edman to third. The Yankees looked like they were out of the inning when Freddie Freeman hit a grounding double play to second, but he beat out the throw, scoring Edman.
The bottom of the Yankees order has finally arrived
Much maligned during the first three games of the series, New York’s last four batters totaled five hits and produced seven runs in the fourth game.
In the sixth, Austin Wells, batting eighth in the order, threw a Landon Knack fastball into the second deck in right, putting New York up two.
Then, in the eighth, the Yankees fought back and put the game away. Volpe, their seventh-place hitter, got things going by beating ninth-place hitter Alex Verdugo’s throw to second.
Leaving nothing to chance, Gleyber Torres followed with a three-run homer to right, Juan Soto doubled to right and a struggling Judge delivered an RBI single to left, perhaps an indication that the Yankees superstar might have more to say in the moving series. Before.
“Gerrit is 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 rebound after a disastrous Game 1 performance. The combination of Tim Hill, winning pitcher Clay Holmes, Mark Leiter Jr., Luke Weaver and Tim Mayza allowed just one hit over the final five innings.
Freeman got the Dodgers off to a fast start again
Just as he did in Game 3, Freeman had the Bronx faithful fearing the worst from the start as he hit a two-run homer to right in the first inning.
The Yankees looked poised to get the two 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 outs.
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 out and Edman to line out into a double play.
The Yankees got on the board during their turn at bat in the second on Verdugo’s groundout.
