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    Dodgers vs. Yankees: Anthony Volpe's grand slam helps New York force World Series Game 5
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    Dodgers vs. Yankees: Anthony Volpe's grand slam helps New York force World Series Game 5

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    6 minutes, 46 seconds Read

    Anthony Volpe of the New York Yankees celebrates after hitting a grand slam against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the third inning of Game 4 of the Baseball World Series on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vasquez)

    Freddie Freeman hit the first walk-off grand slam in World Series history. Anthony Volpe responded with the first grand slam in a World Series elimination game. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vasquez)

    The 2024 World Series will feature a Game 5 triggered by Anthony Volpe's bat.

    The New York Yankees shortstop found redemption and some old form in the third inning of must-win Game 4, hitting a grand slam to help his team pull off a sweep in an 11-4 win on Tuesday to avoid. 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, his record sixth straight game with a home run in the Fall Classic. That's how the Dodgers started their victories in Games 2 and 3, and then the Yankees couldn't be helped with a few misplays.

    One of those misses was Volpe, who was unable to score from second place after a brace from Austin Wells. Ultimately, it didn't cost the Yankees much – Volpe later scored on a groundout from third – but the next time he went to the plate and the bases were loaded against Dodgers reliever Daniel Hudson, it was still off great importance.

    Then Volpe hit his first grand slam in a World Series elimination game. It was his first home run in a game since September 21st and only his second since August 3rd.

    That was the shot the Yankees needed, and their pitching staff once again limited a strong Dodgers offense from then on. Starting pitcher Luis Gil lasted just four innings, but New York's bullpen threw five scoreless innings with seven strikeouts and one hit allowed.

    A five-run rally in the eighth inning, highlighted by a three-run home run from Gleyber Torres, turned a jitter into a laugh.

    The Yankees are still down 3-1 and facing long odds in this World Series, but they did what they had to do on Tuesday. Of the 24 teams that have fallen 3-0 in a World Series, 21 have lost Game 4, so the Yankees can at least say they showed more fight than their predecessors. They are the first to win such a Game 4 since 1970.

    Now the series on Wednesday is about a victorious duel between Gerrit Cole and Jack Flaherty. Another win and the Yankees would become the first team in World Series history to force a Game 6 from a 3-0 deficit.

    And if the series returns to Los Angeles, who knows what could happen?

    Here's how it went at Yahoo Sports:

    The live broadcast has ended94 updates

    • And hindsight is 20/20, but the Dodgers' biggest regret in this game is probably sticking with Daniel Hudson after he loaded the bases in the third inning. Sticking with a struggling reliever has already paid off in this series, most notably for not pulling Blake Treinen when he was in trouble in the ninth inning of Game 2, but sticking with what might be your fourth-best reliever at this point, was questionable and, ultimately, unfortunate.

      The good news is that Hudson was the only significant bullpen arm the Dodgers used in Game 4. The rest of their upper arms were spared to support Jack Flaherty, who has been the Dodgers' steadiest pitcher since the team acquired him at the trade deadline.

    • Let's just note something about how statistics work: No team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit in the World Series, but teams have come back from a 3-1 deficit in the World Series, and that's what matters now to. Unprecedented doesn't mean impossible, and the Yankees are already past that.

      Granted, the Yankees now need to win three games in a row since they lost starting pitcher matchups the first time around, but the downside is that the Dodgers' rotation will all have to repeat some of the best starts of their season. The Yankees can make history simply by sending this series back to Los Angeles, and when they do that the atmosphere will be very different.

    • It cannot be understated how good the Yankees' bullpen has been in this series, Nestor Cortes Jr. notwithstanding. Freddie Freeman's grand slam represents the only four earned runs this unit has allowed in all series, and they have Another great performance in this game with five scoreless innings after four runs allowed by Luis Gil.

      If more runs were allowed, the Dodgers would have used their better relievers instead of playing against Landon Knack and Brent Honeywell all game.

    • FINAL: Yankees 11, Dodgers 4

      There will be no sweep in the 2024 World Series. The Yankees knocked off the Dodgers in Game 4 to force a Game 5 on Wednesday that would pit Gerrit Cole against Jack Flaherty.

    • Giancarlo Stanton shows up to bring a merciful end to an inning in which Honeywell threw 50 pitches. Tim Mayza comes in to get the final three outs, which quickly turned into a loss.

    • Yankees 11, Dodgers 4

      Aaron Judge scored Soto with a single to left, and it was perhaps his best ball of the series. It may have been garbage time, but the Yankees welcome any opportunity for their MVP to get hot.

    • Juan Soto hits a double, and the Dodgers will simply let Honeywell carry that instead of using other replacements.

    • Yankees 10, Dodgers 4

      Gleyber Torres breaks things up with a three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth. We will play Game 5 at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday.

    • Yankees 7, Dodgers 4

      With runners on second and third, Alex Verdugo struck out an 11-pitch batter against Brent Honeywell and hit a grounder to second. Anthony Volpe hits the throw home and Yankee Stadium can breathe a little easier.

    • Brent Honeywell comes on for the eighth and, if necessary, the ninth inning for the Dodgers.

    • Luke Weaver strikes out Teoscar Hernández and Max Muncy in the top of the eighth, and the Yankees are three outs away from forcing a Game 5.

    • Luke Weaver stays in and gets a big out from Freddie Freeman to lead off the inning. The Yankees can escape the Dodgers' top spot again if they strike out five of the next six batters.

    • Knack has three straight flyouts and has struck out 56 pitches in four innings of work. There's little reason for the Dodgers to move him if they don't do anything in the top eight.

    • It's still Landon Knack for the Dodgers. It's his fourth inning and he starts against Aaron Judge.

    • Weaver swings out Betts with only six outs remaining.

    • And Luke Weaver faces Mookie Betts with a man on second and two outs.

    • Wells provides key insurance

      Austin Wells has been up and down the lineup lately as manager Aaron Boone has weighed Wells' offensive woes against Jose Trevino's defensive performance, but the reality is that Wells' offensive production is significantly higher, even with him gets cold.

      Swings like the one Wells used to send a Landon Knack heater to the second deck in right field are a fond reminder of that. This could be a huge insurance run for the Yankees, who now have a two-run cushion with nine outs left to avoid elimination.

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