Freddie Freeman hit the first walk-off grand slam in World Series history. Anthony Volpe responded with his first go-ahead grand slam in a World Series elimination game. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vasquez)
Game 5 of the 2024 World Series will be played, and it was Anthony Volpe’s bat that started it all.
The New York Yankees shortstop recovered and returned to his normal form in the third inning of a must-win Game 4, hitting a go-ahead grand slam to help his team avoid a sweep with an 11-4 win on Tuesday. Game 5 is scheduled for Wednesday at 8:08 p.m. ET.
The Dodgers took the lead early in Game 4 with another home run by Freddie Freeman, marking a six-game home run streak in the Fall Classic. That’s how the Dodgers won Games 2 and 3, after which the Yankees couldn’t help themselves with several misplays.
One of those misplays was by Volpe, who failed to score from second base on an Austin Wells double. It didn’t really hurt the Yankees in the end, as Volpe scored on a grounder from third base, but the next time he came up to bat with the bases loaded against Dodgers reliever Daniel Hudson, It still caused great damage.
Volpe then hit his first go-ahead grand slam in a World Series elimination game. This was his first home run in a game since September 21st and his second since August 3rd.
This was the shot the Yankees needed, and their pitching staff once again limited the powerful Dodgers offense from there. Starting pitcher Lewis Gil lasted only four innings, but New York’s bullpen pitched five scoreless innings with seven strikeouts and one hit allowed.
In the 8th inning, they turned a sad game into a laugh with a five-run homer highlighted by Gleyber Torres’ three-run homer.
The Yankees are still down 3-1 and face a tough situation in this World Series, but they did what they had to do on Tuesday. Of the 24 teams that fell behind at 0-3 in the World Series, 21 lost in Game 4, so it can be said that the Yankees at least did better than their predecessors. This is the first time since 1970 that a team has achieved such a victory in Game 4.
Now, the series moves on to Wednesday’s decider between Gerrit Cole and Jack Flaherty. If they win there, the Yankees will become the first team in World Series history to force their way through Game 6 after falling behind 3-0.
And who knows what will happen once the series returns to Los Angeles.
Here’s what it looks like on Yahoo Sports.
Live94 update
Tuesday, October 29, 2024, 11:34 PM EDT
And while it’s 20/20 in terms of results, the Dodgers’ biggest regret in this game was probably sticking with Daniel Hudson after the bases loaded in the third inning. Continuing to use struggling relief pitchers has been successful in this series so far, most notably when Blake Treinen was in a tight spot in the ninth inning of Game 2. They didn’t pull him, but it was questionable to continue using what was probably the fourth-best relief pitcher on the spot. And the end result is deplorable.
The good news is that the only notable bullpen arm they used was Hudson. Now, all of their arms are resting to back up Jack Flaherty, the Dodgers’ most consistent pitcher since acquiring them at the trade deadline.
Tuesday, October 29, 2024, 11:33 PM EDT
A little note about how statistics work. No team has ever come back from 0-3 down in the World Series, but there have been teams that have come back from 3-1 down in the World Series. That’s what’s important now. Unprecedented doesn’t mean impossible, and the Yankees have already surpassed it.
Sure, the Yankees will need to win three games in a row against the starting pitchers they lost in the first inning, but the flip side of that is that the entire Dodgers rotation will need to recreate their best start of the season. The Yankees could make history by simply sending this series back to Los Angeles, and the atmosphere would be very different if they did.
Tuesday, October 29, 2024, 11:29 PM EDT
Despite Nestor Cortez Jr., it cannot be understated how good the Yankees’ bullpen was in this series. Freddie Freeman’s grand slam was the unit’s only allowed four unearned runs in the entire series, and in this game too, after allowing four runs to Lewis Gil, they had five scoreless innings.
If they had allowed more runs, the Dodgers would have used a better reliever instead of using Landon Knack and Brent Honeywell every game.
Tuesday, October 29, 2024, 11:27 PM EDTTuesday, October 29, 2024, 11:24 PM EDT
Final: Yankees 11, Dodgers 4
There will be no sweep in the 2024 World Series. The Yankees defeated the Dodgers in Game 4 and will force a Game 5 on Wednesday, where Gerrit Cole will face Jack Flaherty.
Tuesday, October 29, 2024, 11:21 PM EDT
Bleacher Creatures just started screaming, “We want Soto!”
Juan Soto turned and waved at them. He’s beloved here, and for good reason.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 30, 2024
Tuesday, October 29, 2024, 11:16 PM EDT
Giancarlo Stanton popped out and mercifully ended Honeywell’s 50-pitch inning. Tim Mayza came on and got the final three outs of what quickly became a rout.
Tuesday, October 29, 2024, 11:11 PM EDT
Yankees 11, Dodgers 4
Aaron Judge hit Soto with a single to left, which was probably the hardest hit ball of the series. It was garbage time, but the Yankees would welcome any opportunity for MVP to get hot.
Tuesday, October 29, 2024, 11:09 PM EDT
Juan Soto hit a double, but the Dodgers will not use another relief pitcher and will let Honeywell wear this.
Tuesday, October 29, 2024, 11:06 PM EDT
Yankees 10, Dodgers 4
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Gleyber Torres broke things up with a three-run home run. Game 5 is scheduled to be played at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday.
Tuesday, October 29, 2024, 11:04 PM EDT
Yankees 7, Dodgers 4
With runners on second and third base, Alex Verdugo threw 11 pitches and grounded out twice in his at-bat with Brent Honeywell. Anthony Volpe beat the home throw and things got a little easier at Yankee Stadium.
Tuesday, October 29, 2024, 10:52 PM EDT
Brent Honeywell appeared in the eighth inning for the Dodgers and will appear in the ninth inning if needed.
Tuesday, October 29, 2024, 10:50 PM EDT
Luke Weaver had three strikeouts and struck out all four batters he faced. (21 balls)
Will he be back on the 9th? Aaron Boone reflected on himself for not letting Weaver back in Game 1.
— Brian Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) October 30, 2024
Tuesday, October 29, 2024, 10:49 PM EDT
Luke Weaver struck out Teoscar Hernandez and Max Muncy to end the top of the eighth inning, and the Yankees were within three outs of Game 5.
Tuesday, October 29, 2024, 10:44 PM EDT
Luke Weaver stays and starts the inning by getting a bunch of outs from Freddie Freeman. If the Yankees can strike out five of the next six batters, they can once again avoid the Dodgers’ top spot.
Tuesday, October 29, 2024, 10:40 PM EDT
Knack suffered a flyout in three consecutive games and threw 56 pitches in four innings. If he doesn’t do anything in the top of the 8th inning, there’s little reason for the Dodgers to take him out.
Tuesday, October 29, 2024, 10:36 PM EDT
For the Dodgers, it’s Landon Knack. He will start in the fourth inning against Aaron Judge.
Tuesday, October 29, 2024, 10:31 PM EDT
Weaver strikes out Betts, leaving only six outs.
Tuesday, October 29, 2024, 10:26 PM EDT
Then Luke Weaver appears, playing against Mookie Betts with two outs and second base.
Tuesday, October 29, 2024, 10:25 PM EDT
Wells provides important insurance
Austin Wells has been in and out of the lineup lately as manager Aaron Boone weighs Wells’ offensive struggles against Jose Trevino’s defensive influence, but the reality is that Wells’ offensive struggles The upper limit of his power is quite high even when he is in a cold state.
Swings like the one Wells made to send Landon Knack’s heater flying into the second deck of the right field seats are a reminder of that. This could be a big insurance policy for the Yankees. The Yankees still have a two-run cushion with nine outs left to avoid elimination.
