Meet the Yankees’ Fil-Am player who made World Series history

Photo from anthonyvolpe/Instagram

It was a historic night for the Yankees’ Filipino American shortstop Anthony Volpe.

As his team faced elimination in Game 4 of the World Series after losing the first three games to the Los Angeles Dodgers, he smashed a grand slam, keeping the Yankees’ World Series hopes alive. 

The signature Yankees moment sent fans into a frenzy, with the sellout crowd of nearly 50,000 at Yankee Stadium erupting into wild cheers.

He also became the first player ever to register four RBIs and two stolen bases in a World Series game.

It was a dream-come-true for Volpe, who adored the New York Yankees as a child.

Born in Manhattan to an Italian father and a Filipina mother, he had been an 8-year-old at the 2009 World Series parade, taking a peek at players like Alex Rodriguez and his idol, Derek Jeter.

His Filipina mother, Isabelle Volpe, described witnessing his son fulfill his childhood dream as “so surreal.” 

“We cheered for the Yankees before he was born. This whole thing is a trip. Us taking him to all those events, spending money to meet [Derek] Jeter when he was eight years old, and he wouldn’t even go up to him because he was too shy. Now he’s out there doing it,” Isabelle, an anesthesiologist who was born and raised in the Philippines, told the New York Post.

Volpe has been proud of his childhood connection with the team, captioning an Instagram post, “Born a Yankee fan. Raised a Yankee fan.”

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A post shared by Anthony Volpe (@anthonyvolpe)

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Following the grand slam, the 24-year-old shortstop, who debuted with the Yankees in 2023, reflected on his full-circle moment. 

With his usual shy demeanor, he told CBS News, “I was hustling. I didn’t know I got it. And then I blacked out.”

The Yankees ended up losing to the Dodgers, which held on for a 7-6 victory in Game 5 and wrapped up their eighth championship, but Volpe made his mark in World Series history.

Volpe will continue to inspire fans with what his former high school coach Bruce Shatel described as the Fil-Am’s ”tremendous work ethic” and passionate leadership on the field.