NEW YORK — Anthony Volpe hit a go-ahead grand slam in the third inning and the New York Yankees avoided a World Series sweep by beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 11-4 in Game 4 on Tuesday.
Los Angeles leads the best-of-seven series 3-1 but was unable to complete the 22nd sweep in World Series history. The Dodgers will attempt to secure their second title in five years and eighth in franchise history on Wednesday when Jack Flaherty opposes Gerrit Cole in a rematch of Game 1.
The Yankees loaded the bases with one out in the third against Daniel Hudson (0-1) when Aaron Judge was hit by a pitch, Jazz Chisholm Jr. singled and Giancarlo Stanton walked. After Hudson retired Anthony Rizzo on a popup, Volpe drove a first-pitch slider a few rows back in the left-center-field seats for a 5-2 lead.
As Volpe rounded the bases, teammates pounded on the dugout rail and FOX cameras showed Juan Soto hugging Jose Trevino. After crossing the plate, Volpe was greeted with high-fives.
Volpe entered the at-bat 1-for-12 in the series, though he had scored New York’s first run on Alex Verdugo’s groundout in the second after drawing a walk. Volpe also swiped second as part of a double steal in the eighth and scored on a fielder’s choice grounder by Verdugo.
Before Volpe’s slam, Los Angeles’ Freddie Freeman set a pair of records by hitting a two-run homer off rookie Luis Gil in the first inning.
After a double by Mookie Betts, Freeman lined a 2-1 slider into the right field seats, becoming the first player to hit home runs in the first four games of a World Series and the first to homer in six straight World Series games overall.
Freeman wound up driving in three runs, as he beat out a double-play grounder in the fifth to get the Dodgers within 5-4. Will Smith homered earlier in the inning off Gil.
Austin Wells homered in the sixth for the Yankees, who haven’t been swept in the Fall Classic since 1976 against the Cincinnati Reds. Gleyber Torres hit a three-run drive in the eighth.
Judge added an RBI single two batters after Torres homered.
Gil allowed four runs on five hits in four-plus innings. He was lifted after walking Tommy Edman, and Tim Hill gave up Freeman’s third RBI. New York’s Clay Holmes (3-1) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings, and Mark Leiter Jr. got the first two outs of the seventh.
After Leiter fanned Shohei Ohtani on a splitter, Luke Weaver got the next four outs before Tim Mayza finished up with a 1-2-3 ninth.
Los Angeles used a bullpen game for the fourth time in the postseason and fell to 2-2 when doing so. Ben Casparius allowed a run in two innings before Hudson served up Volpe’s grand slam.
–Larry Fleisher, Field Level Media