From Anthony Castrovince (why isn’t Hoch doing these recaps?):
Anthony Volpe’s wildest baseball dreams as a New Jersey lad didn’t end with his beloved Yankees getting swept in the World Series.
They ended with a moment like this. Bases loaded. Season on the line. And the kid who poured his heart into the pinstripes coming up clutch.
Volpe’s go-ahead grand slam off Dodgers reliever Daniel Hudson in the third inning of Game 4 on Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium was precisely the spark his Yanks needed to pull themselves off the mat in this matchup. It sparked a runaway 11-4 victory for the New Yorkers, who, while still trailing three games to one, have ace Gerrit Cole going at home in Game 5 on Wednesday and therefore still have a chance to make this a legit series.
I mean, they’re obviously still losing the series, and probably as soon as tonight (although it sure is swell to have Cole going tonight), but simply avoiding a sweep is sadly a really notable thing. As noted, there had been 24 World Series before this one where one team was trailing 3-0, TWENTY-ONE OF THEM ended in a sweep, with just THREE teams ever getting to a game 5, and NO ONE ever forcing a Game 6 (obviously, it happened a few times in the series leading UP to the World Series, but never in the World Series itself). The last time a sweep was averted was over FIFTY YEARS ago, in the 1970 World Series.
So, yeah, that was a nice win. Maybe they can get another win tonight, and at least make the Dodgers sweat a little bit (and also get to celebrate their World Series victory at home, which is actually almost kind of considerate of the Yankees). The one thing we can say is that the Dodgers starters have all pitched way better in this series than they have for most of the playoffs, so it wouldn’t be SHOCKING to see the Yankees hit better against them the second time out.
If the Yankees somehow pull it out tonight (they won’t), would you consider starting Nestor Cortes in Game 6, and saving Rodon for Game 7? It would give Rodon’s blisters more time to heal.
The featured image is Volpe’s amazing grand slam.
What a great moment. I though that Volpe has been a lot better with the bat this postseason. I felt a grand slam was coming, but I was expecting a ground out.
Great night, let’s get another.
i agree. let’s send this back to LA tonight. hopefully the win loosened the boys up a bit…
https://www.mlb.com/news/anthony-volpe-world-series-x-factor
Imagine if Boone wasn’t an idiot in game 1.
100%
Even with the yankees poor offense for the first 3 games of the series, this should be 2-2. Instead the yankees are avoiding elimination with every game they play.
Remember in 2017 against the Cleveland team
Then known as the Indians when girardi didn’t challenge because he didn’t know in the playoffs you get two challenges…And it cost the Yankees the game?
At the time I was thinking “wow that’s a fireable offense! You cost your team a playoff game because you were dumb!” Then he got fired .
Boone’s idiocy in Game 1 is fireable offense – you cost your team a WS game! Can I hope Cashman does it again?
these guys need a ban, it would be embarrassing if he’s back in for tonight
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/mlb/article-14017963/amp/Yankees-fan-ripped-ball-Mookie-Betts-breaks-silence-footage-shows-ejected-World-Series.html
Fortunately he has been banned for tonight as well. Should be mlb-wide lifetime though.
reporters are running with the story “mlb had to ask the yanks to ban them”.
i hope it’s not true. these guys should not be welcome anywhere. i agree.
Judge saying words:
“I know he probably didn’t put up the numbers in the regular season that he wanted to,” Aaron Judge, who was 1 for 3, said of Verdugo. “But all year long he just said: ‘Get me to the postseason and I’ll do something special.’ And that’s what we’ve seen so far this whole postseason.”
If by “something special” he meant “sucking worse than anyone’s ever sucked before” then, sure.
Well, from Judge’s perspective Verdugo has been at an MVP level this postseason
judge is objectively a good teammate for saying these kinds of things.
he doesn’t write the checks or fill out the lineup card.
it’s fucking annoying when boone or cash make this crap up though.
That’s all fine unless he convinces Cashman to offer Verdugo a new contract. He’s also so much pro Boone that it will be impossible to fire Boone.
I think Soto is also a Verdugo guy. Wanna sign me, sign Verdugo too.
Halloween week, so the dead walked for a game at Yankees Stadium.
That vertugo at bat in the 8th was truly great..,fouling off pitches…and then he did his usual ground ball to second. But it worked!
But they better not sign him!
When Boston won their 0-3 game back in the day, you could see the pitching lined up going forward.
I can’t say the same here for the last 2 games, but for tonight’s game I think I can.
100%. At the time, I was, like, “Fuck, we need to win this shit NOW, because these matchups are awwwwwwwwwwwwwwful from this point forward.”
Kirschner “Yesterday, Anthony Rizzo said one of things that made him confident that the Yankees could win this series was knowing a “pissed off” Carlos Rodón would pitch again.”
I feel better now.
Same lineup as yesterday. I thought he might move Wells up.
A win tonight by the Yankees would be historical.