For At Least One Night, New Yankee Stadium Conjured Some Old, Familiar Magic

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Until about 9:15pm ET last night, this World Series was no fun. The big, juicy story, of course, was that Aaron Judge's career playoff struggles have reached a nadir during the Yankees' most important games of the last 15 years. There's no arguing that, but the truth is the entire lineup was in a funk, and scoring two or three runs per game just isn't going to cut it against the Dodgers.

Any other storyline you could point to during this series would also give a Yankee fan the blues. A questionable decision to bring Nestor Cortes in to face the heart of the Dodger lineup at the end of Game One after he hadn't pitched in over a month. Freddie Freeman's propensity for hitting a game-changing, or at least tone-setting, home run in each game of the series. Yankee base-running mistakes that cost them a chance at more runs. Even an over-eager fan at Yankee Stadium trying to pry the ball out of Mookie Betts' glove. It was one big Yankee bummer.

In an instant, everything changed. Or at least it seemed like an instant. With the Yankees down 2-1, the usually reliable Juan Soto led off the third inning with a strike out. Judge then got plunked on the right hand with the first pitch he saw. A painful, but welcome alternative to striking out. Jazz Chisholm followed with a long, loud single to right field that moved Judge to third base. Giancarlo Stanton drew a walk to load the bases, and Anthony Rizzo popped out. With two outs, this seemed like the Yankees' last real chance to put up a fight in the World Series. For 15 years, when presented with opportunities like this in October, the Yankees have squandered these chances.

Anthony Volpe, one of the many struggling Yankees, stepped up to the plate. Maybe in that moment some ghosts of the Yankees' glorious past started stirring from the grounds of the old stadium across the street. Maybe knowing that Derek Jeter - Volpe's childhood hero who delivered so many times for the Yankees in these exact moments - was watching in the stands served as the spark of inspiration he needed. Or maybe it's just the fact that Anthony Volpe is a talented young man who was determined in this moment to change the course of this game, this series, and perhaps even his career.

Anthony Volpe lived out a childhood dream in Game Four of the World Series.

Whatever it was, Volpe took a mighty swing at the first pitch he saw and hit the ball with authority. At Yankee Stadium, 50,000 rose to their feet, as did millions more watching at home. As the ball cleared the left field wall, Yankee fans everywhere erupted while Volpe's teammates literally jumped for joy. Grand slam. Game changed. And a new storyline was budding for the Yankees thanks to their young shortstop who grew up cheering moments like this.

The Yankees would not relinquish that lead. Despite a dicey situation in the fifth inning, Yankee relievers worked themselves out of trouble. Better yet, Volpe's big swing appeared to light a fire under his team. Over the second half of the game, the Yankees took advantage of Dodger mistakes. They stole bases, they strung together good at-bats, and they hit more home runs. Even Aaron Judge got in on the action, lining an RBI single to left field in the eighth inning. 

Throughout the rallies, the Yankee Stadium crowd was in a frenzy. Beer was flying from the bleachers and upper deck, the cheers were deafening, and when it was all said and done, Sinatra's voice boomed just a bit louder from the stadium speakers. If you didn't know any better, you would have thought you were in Old Yankee Stadium in the late 1990's during that magical run of success.

It remains to be seen if Volpe's heroics truly turns this series around. At the very least, he's changed the tone of it. The Yankees will walk into Game Five without the gloomy storylines of the first three games over their head. All they have to worry about now is winning the next game in front of them, and with their $300 million ace on the mound, they have to feel good about their chances.

Regardless of what happens from here on out, Anthony Volpe rose to the occasion to rekindle a brand of October baseball in The Bronx that hasn't been seen in a long time. For at least one night, Yankee Stadium was fun as hell again.

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