As the Yankees celebrated their ALCS victory over the Guardians, Anthony Volpe described his first true trip to the World Series as “a dream come true” yet “better than anything I ever dreamed of.” A childhood Yankees fan, Volpe went on to say that he had been to the Fall Classic before — in his imagination. In reality, the shortstop, who grew up in New York City and Northern New Jersey, attended a few playoff games, but never the World Series. However, Volpe did go to the team’s 2009 championship parade. A photo documenting the occasion went viral after the Yankees won the ALCS. At the time, it seemed as if Volpe might soon return to the Canyon of Heroes, himself a champion being cheered from the streets. Anthony Volpe at the 2009 World Series Parade (via @DaniWex) pic.twitter.com/eeiJ2BArBX — Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) October 20, 2024 On Tuesday, Volpe kept that now-unlikely dream alive, as his third-inning grand slam in Game 4 helped the Yankees avoid getting swept by the Dodgers in the World Series. The second-year shortstop’s big blast came off Daniel Hudson, who delivered a flat slider over the lower, inside corner of the plate in the Yankees’ 11-4 win. “I pretty much blacked out as soon as I saw it go over the fence,” Volpe said. He added that he envisioned games like Tuesday’s “probably every night” as a child. As Volpe sent Hudson’s pitch 390 feet over Yankee Stadium’s left field wall, he gave the Yankees a 5-2 lead. As he circled the bases and crossed home plate, teammates celebrated the full-circle moment — and a slam that helped them stave off elimination. “I can’t even imagine, honestly,” said Austin Wells, who also homered in the game and is one of Volpe’s closest friends. “Just his whole family going way back being Yankee fans, him being at the parade in 09, growing up a Yankees fan, now being the shortstop, hitting a grand slam in the World Series in a must-win game. I mean, it doesn’t get any better than that, honestly, for the New York Yankees. So that’s pretty cool.” Grand Slam courtesy of Anthony Volpe. pic.twitter.com/tHOmVu9DLJ — New York Yankees (@Yankees) October 30, 2024 Volpe’s storybook evening, heavily attended by family and friends, didn’t end with his game-changing homer. While he failed to score after mistakenly tagging up on a Wells double in the second inning, Volpe later hustled his way into an eighth-inning double, took third on a double steal, and scored on an Alex Verdugo grounder with the infield in. He finished the night 2-for-3 with three runs scored, four RBI, one walk and two steals. “The jump he got to make that not really close is pretty impressive,” Aaron Boone said of Volpe scoring on the grounder. The manager added that the 23-year-old “loves being a Yankee.” A few cherries were then placed atop Volpe’s magical night. The first came when the Bronx faithful began loudly chanting his name in the ninth inning. Volpe called that the “No. 1″ coolest moment of his life. A few minutes later, he found himself being interviewed by No. 2, former Yankees captain and current Fox Sports analyst Derek Jeter. “It is pretty crazy to think about,” Volpe said of his childhood hero. “It’s my dream, but it was all my friends’ dreams, all my cousins’ dreams, probably my sister’s dream too.” Big night for @Yankees and @Volpe_Anthony! pic.twitter.com/AaK1t9elM4 — Derek Jeter (@derekjeter) October 30, 2024 As Volpe joined the Fox set, David Ortiz, also an analyst, gave him a gift. The ex-Red Sox slugger likes to award top postseason performers a shirt that says “My Dawg” in red letters. The shirt also features Ortiz in a Red Sox uniform. Jeter told Volpe not to keep the tee, but it’s in his locker. He’s not sure what he’ll do with it. “I can’t wear it,” Volpe said, stating the obvious. “It’s got him and Red Sox stuff on it.” Papi to Volpe: "You my dawg" Jeter to Volpe: "No no no. Don't take that" pic.twitter.com/dIfPJEVMlx — FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 30, 2024 While Tuesday marked Volpe’s first signature playoff game, he’s put together a respectable postseason debut. Volpe was hitting a modest .244 over 12 games entering Game 4, but his .380 on-base percentage marked a drastic improvement after he posted a .293 clip during the regular season. Volpe has also been making stronger contact and chasing less since making a few adjustments, which have allowed to him to get behind the ball better, prior to the postseason. “I think he’s been excellent,” Boone said before Game 4. “He’s definitely hit better than his numbers would even suggest. I think everyone that’s watched every one of our games, you see his at-bats game in, game out have been excellent. “I think he’s grown a lot this postseason.” Volpe’s regular season left a lot of folks wondering what type of hitter he will be long-term. After flattening his bat path over the offseason, he clearly lost some pop compared to an uneven rookie campaign. He also didn’t provide much in the contact department, especially after a hot start to the season that featured lots of BABIP luck. Volpe ended the season with a .243/.293/.364 slash line, an 86 wRC+, 12 homers, 60 RBI and 28 stolen bases. He hit just .177 in September, yet he’s swung the bat as well as he has in his young career since the calendar flipped to October. Now Boone is hoping that Volpe’s postseason success can serve as a “springboard” for the already-elite defender. “I feel like we’re going to look up in a couple of years and see a really, really strong offensive player,” Boone said. “It doesn’t always happen in a meteoric rise for some people, but I feel like he’s moving the needle in a really good way, and I feel like this playoff is showing that a little bit.” The Yankees, meanwhile, are hoping that a big night from Volpe and the rest of the offense can spark some history. No team has ever overcome a 3-0 deficit in the World Series, but the Yankees are trying to become the first. If so, Volpe will get to attend another championship parade, but he isn’t letting his imagination run that wild just yet. “Not yet,” he said when asked if his grand slam brought back memories of the 2009 parade. “Hopefully when we win the World Series and I’m with family, we can all reflect on everything. It was just a big game. We just wanted to go 1-0 and win today and see where it took us.”