The New York Yankees fans were desperate for something to cheer about, and shortstop Anthony Volpe finally gave it to them in grand fashion on Tuesday, swatting a historic go-ahead grand slam in the third inning of Game 4 of the World Series.

With the Los Angeles Dodgers leading the World Series 3-0 and on the verge of sweeping the Yankees in the Bronx, Volpe came to the plate with the bases juiced and two out. The Dodgers led 2-1 at the time, thanks to another Freddie Freeman homer. That's when Volpe hit one into the seats in left field, making him the first player to ever hit a go-ahead grand slam in the World Series with his team facing elimination.

It was the first postseason home run of Volpe's career. The shortstop arrived in the majors last year, hitting just .209 as a rookie, though he did sock 21 home runs. The Yankees missed the playoffs with an 82-80 record.

This year, Volpe has been solid at the plate in the postseason. He hit .353 in the ALCS, and though he did not have a hit in the first two games of the World Series, he broke through in Game 3 and carried that momentum into Game 4.

Yankees SS Anthony Volpe is living his dream in the World Series

New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe (11) reacts after hitting a grand slam against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the third inning during game four of the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium.
Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images
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By now, just about every baseball fan has seen the photo of a young Anthony Volpe celebrating the Yankees' most recent World Series championship in 2009 at the team's victory parade.

Volpe thought back to that day in an interview before the World Series started.

“You just wait the whole day to see the guys go by on the floats. It seems like they’re larger than life,” he told Rob Bradford of the Baseball Isn’t Boring podcast. “They accomplished something that, to me and young guys in the city, that’s what you dream of.”

Volpe was born in Manhattan and raised in New Jersey, growing up a Derek Jeter fan. Much like his childhood idol, Volpe was drafted by the Yankees and rose through the organization's minor league system to be the team's Opening Day starter at shortstop as a rookie.

Unlike Jeter, Volpe is still looking for his first ring. If that's going to happen this year, the Yankees will need to do something no team has ever done before in the World Series: erase an 0-3 series deficit by winning four straight.

“The eight-year-old kid would probably be mad that it took that long to get back to the World Series,” Volpe added. “But it would be cool to look back on it. Just looking at pictures and having family tell stories of what they remember has been a lot of fun.”

Bringing another parade to New York this year will be a tall order, but Volpe's historic grand slam was a step in the right direction.